


Ouroboros

by IShottheSheriff



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Canon Divergence, Daddy Kink, Denial of Sexuality, Edging, Emotional Turmoil, Frotting, Hand Jobs, Homophobia, Jealousy, M/M, Masturbation, OOC, Oral Sex, Possessive Behavior, Premature Ejaculation, Prophetic Dreams?, Self-Harm, Somnophilia, Twincest, Updated regularly, Voyeurism, adding more tags as I go, as in the snakes don't actually hate each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2017-03-23
Packaged: 2018-09-07 20:57:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 40
Words: 98,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8816026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IShottheSheriff/pseuds/IShottheSheriff
Summary: "There’s something else too…something important. I’m sure you’ve already figured it out though, judging by the way you’re looking at the snapshot.” Solid tore his gaze away from the file to look at Master Miller. “He’s your brother. Your twin brother.”After learning the truth behind his existence, Solid Snake is sent to Iraq to locate and extract his twin brother Liquid Snake for FOXHOUND. Their strange and tense kinship is put under strain when they have to travel together in close quarters.





	1. The Information

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the Metal Gear series  
> This is my first fic...  
> It's set in 1992, so the twins are 20  
> Thoughts are written in italics

The air was dusty and hot, shimmering in waves above the scorching ground. Solid Snake sat still and silent under an outcrop of rock while he checked his map for the twelfth time in one hour. He had been tracking his target for four days, and he could sense he was closing in. He didn’t feel glad for it though – in fact he felt sick.

Again he thought of the brief he had been given for this mission five days ago. “ _Operation Snake Charmer_ ”. _Who the hell comes up with these?_ he thought and spat some dust onto the shaded ground beside him. A week ago today his whole life had been turned upside down when Master Miller decided to tell him the most outrageous (and classified) piece of information he had ever heard. The truth about his birth. Hell, it wasn’t turned upside down, it was torn inside out!

~

Miller had spilt the beans about _Les Enfants Terribles._ About his father and the fact he was a clone. Apparently Big Boss had given Miller the A-Okay to divulge this information to Solid. Knowing that Boss knew that he knew would make it all the more awkward if he bumped into him at base – which is why Solid had spent the next two days either in his bunk or sneaking around like a timid mouse. What was he supposed to say to him? ‘Hi, so it turns out you’ve been my clone dad this entire time. Maybe we could hang out sometime!’ Not likely.

Venom hadn’t asked to see him after, and Solid ended up wishing Boss would just hurry up and break the ice already.

After the two days he was allotted to attempt to digest The Information, he is tasked with _Operation Snake Charmer_. As per the usual he was called into Master Miller’s office for the debrief. Not so per the usual, there were no Intel staff there to assist them. Noticing the confusion on Solid’s face, Miller spoke up:

“I’m afraid it’s just us for this one. The meeting, anyway. This mission is top secret, Snake, and unlike anything you’ve faced so far. But…I believe you can do it. You’re the best person for this job, even if you are years younger than our other dispatch staff. Boss wouldn’t have asked you to do this if he didn’t think you capable, either.”

At the mention of Big Boss Solid seized up, his body going cold. Although The Information had been weighing heavily and constantly on his mind 24/7, the reminder caused the emotion to swell afresh. The ever observant Miller took note of his reaction and sighed heavily. “I’m sorry to do this to you, kid. Really, I am.” There was a moment of silence in which Miller cast his face away from his protégé. Solid watched him closely. He looked like he was in pain.

As suddenly as it came the moment passed, and Miller was all business again. “Right then…take a look at this.” He slapped a thin file onto the desk and it slid toward Solid. He snatched it without hesitation.

It was titled: _OPERATION SNAKE CHARMER [TOP SECRET]._ He scoffed, flipping the file open to take a look inside. The first thing to catch his attention was a picture paper clipped to the top page. It was a grainy, poor quality mugshot of a man, obviously taken from some distance away. Solid felt his heart beating faster as he studied the picture; there was something weirdly familiar about that face.

“Snake.” Miller’s voice brought him back from his reverie with a jolt. His Master’s face was hard beneath his trademark aviators. “Your mission is to locate and extract the individual known as Liquid Snake.” _Liquid Snake_? What did that mean? Now Solid could feel his heartbeat thumping ominously in his neck. “He is a very skilled and dangerous man. The last Intel we got on him a few days ago places him in Iraq. We don’t know his exact whereabouts, only the general area. So, you’ll have to do some tracking. Put that training to good use.” Miller tried to lighten the mood with a smile, but it was too forced so he gave up. “We suspect that he is staying somewhere at the moment, judging by his areas of activity. All within eight miles of each other, arranged in a rough semicircle. After looking at the surrounding landscape, it was determined...” Miller continued his monologue, unaware that Solid was only half listening now.

He was busy staring at the picture in the file. _His name is Snake too…I swear I’ve seen his face before somewhere…could this mean that-_

“Also,” once again his trance was interrupted by the other man, “there’s something else…something important. I’m sure you’ve already figured it out though, judging by the way you’re looking at the snapshot.” Solid tore his gaze away from the file to look at Master Miller. “He’s your brother. Your _twin_ brother.”

~

Solid Snake crumpled the map up with a curse and started up from his position under the outcrop. He had to be within a mile of Liquid – he was an excellent tracker after all. He was stalling though, and he knew it. By the end of the day he would finally meet his clone brother. How was he going to introduce himself? Solid was fairly sure that Liquid would try to pick a fight if his file was anything to go by. Violent, volatile, mentally and emotionally unstable. _He doesn’t have my training though_ he reminded himself. _Or does he? He_ was _in the British Special Air Service until he was declared MIA a few months back. It’s very possible his training is immaculate…_

Shaking himself back into the present, Solid began his careful trek onward. His map said that there were a few abandoned buildings nearby, barely more than huts. He was almost certain that Liquid was using them. Three minutes into his advance, Snake spotted the huts. Or what remained of them anyway.

Baking in the morning sun, three dilapidated structures stood spilling mud bricks and plaster from their aging walls. One had been completely razed to the ground, with only its brick outline remaining like a blueprint. Another had its roof caved in with two of the walls reduced to rubble. The last one was in much better condition – it had a roof and four walls at least. _This must be the place_ Snake judged, and crept around at a discrete distance to look into the doorway. Since it had no windows, this was the only place he could see in from.

He couldn’t see anything. There was no sign of life past the dark threshold. _Now what?_ Would it be stupid for him to approach the house? He didn’t think his twin would already be aware of his presence. If he wasn’t in there, he would have to watch and wait for his return. Every nerve in his body was humming with anxiety. What would he say once they were face to face? Would he get a chance to say anything before Liquid attacked?

“Snake, everything alright?” a voice crackling through his earpiece made him jump.

“Yes, I’m fine. I think I’ve located the place that he’s been staying. I’m gonna check it out now.”

“Good job. Be careful.” was all the reply he got, and he was left in silence once again. _No more hesitating,_ he told himself, _no more stalling. Okay…it’s time to do this._ With a shaky breath Solid got up into a crouch and tiptoed toward the entrance. Still no sign of Liquid. He raised his tranq handgun and poked his head past the doorway. Inside it was considerably cooler than the wasteland outside. There was a pile of straw with a burlap sack thrown over it in the corner, in what served as a mattress. Other than that the only decor was a wooden box, a plastic comb and two empty ration packs. Still no Liquid.

Solid decided to go further in. Maybe he could hide behind the box to surprise his brother when he got back. _If_ he got back. For all he knew Liquid could have moved on. Halfway into the room, he was addressed from behind.

“لا تتحرك. أعطني البندقية - ولا تحاول أي شيء سواء. سوف يكون أسرع، ثق بي.”

 _Shit._ Snake hadn’t heard anyone come in after him. _Shit shit shit_. He didn’t move. “أعطني البندقية.” they repeated in a hiss. A pause. “العربية؟ Kurdî?” then, “English?” Solid nodded. “Who are you? Who sent you? Turn around and give me the gun, dammit!” At the English accent Solid could guess who it was. He held his hands, gun still unholstered, out in a gesture of surrender and slowly stood up from his crouch. Then he turned around, equally as slowly, and faced the intruder.

                It was like looking in a mirror. Liquid Snake had the same face as him, the same body as him. The only difference between them physically were the colours: Liquid had darker skin, green eyes and long golden hair as opposed to Solid’s blue eyes and shorter brown hair. He was dressed only in a pair of threadbare camo trousers that looked a few sizes too small – they were too short above the ankle, stretched tight over his legs and bit into his waist. He, like his twin, was lean; they were muscular but since they were still adolescents they had a lot of bulking up left to do. Solid Snake noticed the rusty machete in the other’s grip.

It took all of six seconds for Liquid to recognise his brother, and another five for him to process the situation. At first he looked like he was going to faint, then he went through many different emotions in quick succession. Confusion, horror, anger, a bit more confusion until he finally settled upon creepy. He grinned wide, baring his teeth like an animal. His eyes weren’t smiling though, they looked feverish and alarmed. The blonde chuckled, but it sounded more like a groan of pain than a laugh.

“Well, well, well. Look at who it is! Come for a little visit, have we? Well then, make yourself at home _brother_.”

“Liquid -”

“Why don’t you sit down? Your journey here must have been a hard one.” Liquid indicated to the wooden box with his machete. Solid hesitated. His brother was taut as a bowstring, as if readying himself to flee – or attack. After another tense moment of silence he relented and perched uncomfortably on the box, gun still in hand. “There we go! Now…what brings you to my humble abode so unexpectedly _brother_?”

“I’ve been sent here by FOXHOUND. They’ve decided to take you in. That you were too…valuable not to have.” At this Liquid started laughing for real. He threw his head back in a swoop of gold hair and cackled like a hyena.

“And if I say no to their gracious invitation? Let me guess, you’re going to force me with your superior FOXHOUND training, right? Give them another Snake to add to their little collection.” The insane grin had been replaced with a disdainful sneer.

“I’m not here to fight you.” Liquid stopped laughing and narrowed his eyes at the other.

“Yeah right. Tell me, is daddy dearest the puppet master pulling the strings of this FOXHOUND?” Solid faltered and moved his gaze away for a moment. “That’s a yes then. Did he say why he wanted me back? I hardly think it’s because he wants his little snakelings safely back in the nest.”

“I told you, FOXHOUND finds you too valuable to -”

“So he wants me for my inherited skill then. To make me another one of his many pawns so he can order me to and fro across the chessboard.”

“He didn’t say what he wanted you for. I don’t know if there’s any ulterior motive behind this. And that’s the truth. I’ve told you what I was told.” Solid watched his brother examine his poker-face, then struggle for a split second. He’d rather not fight the blonde, but he was hardly going to convince him either. He seemed like he’d already made up his mind.

Might as well try, though. “I think that whatever is waiting for you there must be better than this.” He gestured vaguely to the dingy room around them.

“Then you truly are an idiot. Here I am free. Free to do what I what, when I want; be _who_ I want.” Liquid spoke with passion. There was a fierce fire behind his vivid eyes that would have made other men cower. But Solid wasn't like other men.

“And who exactly are you, then? Because all I see is a dirty guy in children’s clothes, living alone off of stolen rations.” Liquid clenched his hands into fists so tight that the joints paled and cracked.

“ _You…you_ …how _dare_ – you don’t know a thing about me _Solid Snake!_ I am not going back under that man’s thumb, he doesn’t even _care_ about-” He stopped his fuming abruptly and stood awkwardly, panting with emotion. _Get a fucking hold of yourself_ he chided. “You don’t know what freedom is. You’ve probably spent your whole life following orders, never being anyone but who you’re told to be.”

“Is it possible for us to be anything but what we were made to be? Soldiers? I don’t think that I could be anything else.” Was that resentment he could hear in Solid’s voice? Maybe they weren’t so different after all. They shared the curse of their fate.

“It’s better this way.”

“Is it though? You may not be free as you see it, but at least you’ll have clothes and food. A proper bed.” Liquid didn’t look like he cared much about that. “Training too, excellent training. Surely that’s more than you’re getting now.” That one seemed to trigger a reaction at least. Liquid sighed and plodded over to his pitiful bed, sitting down with a tired ‘oof’. They sat in silence for a minute, each thinking. Solid looked sidelong at his twin; he seemed more sad than angry now. Where was the violence, then? He’d seen a bit of the anger and instability so far. Liquid’s long, dark eyelashes fanned over his green eyes, obscuring them. Suddenly, they flicked toward him and he looked away quickly.

“Have you ever met our father?” Liquid inquired quietly.

“Yes. A few times.”

“Describe him to me.” That was unexpected. Didn’t Master Miller say that he used to live on Mother Base with them for a while?

“He’s…intense. Unreadable, I can never tell what he’s thinking. He’s a good leader, he-”

“No you dipstick, describe him _physically_. What does he look like?” the blonde had turned his torso to face the other with interest.

“Oh uh…ya know, he’s got one eye…lots of scars…”

“What about his arm?” Liquid raised his left as an example.

“Yeah, it’s a prosthetic. Lost it in a helicopter crash or something, right?”

“And the horn?” this time he pointed to his forehead expectantly.

“Had it removed a while back. He has it in his office as a souvenir.”

“Venom.” He sighed and slumped over on the pallet. Another quiet minute passed. This time it was Liquid’s turn to observe his brother. _Does he ever show much emotion? He’s like a damn robot or something. V’s little golden boy, come to take the problem child home._ He watched his pale eyes under his copycat bandana. _He’s got lashes like a girl_. He flicked over the rest of his profile with curiosity. _He’s got lips like a girl too. All plump and pink – shit, that’s...Fuck.._ _._ Liquid cleared his throat restlessly and startled his company.

He knew what he had to do now. Or at least what he thought he should do. “Right then, when do we leave?” That was more than a bit shocking to Solid.

“What?”

“When do we leave? I’m guessing we’re going by helicopter. How far is it to the rendezvous point?”

“Erm – there’s a place about a mile northwest. How come -”

“Look, are we going or not?”

“Yeah! We can go right now.” _Irate fucker, isn’t he? He said he’ll go at least – don’t push your luck_ Solid warned himself.

“Good. Let me pack my stuff.” Liquid stood and reached toward his clone. His hand hovered over Solid’s questioningly. _What does he want me to do? Is it really…?_ Sure that he wasn’t misinterpreting the gesture, Solid took his brother’s hand in his own and held it timidly. Liquid froze for a moment.

“That’s lovely, brother, but I was after the comb.” The brunette peered where the other was looking, finding the comb that had been forgotten under his hand. _Oh dear God why!_

“Oh, sorry.” He quickly disengaged their hands and folded his own in his lap, glaring at them with humiliation. He was hoping the low light in the hut would hide the burning of his face. Liquid snatched the comb up without comment and slid it into his back pocket. He then secured his machete through his belt loop and headed toward the door.

“That’s me all packed, then. Let’s go.” They stepped out into the blinding midday sun together.


	2. Stolen Trousers

The heat pounded down on their heads dizzyingly. They were trudging along a sandy road side by side, alert despite the temperature. Solid had yet to report back over his Codec, he didn’t want to ruin their momentum now that they had got going. He could always do it once they found some shade. They needed to arrange the helicopter out of here. He was about to offer the other some water when a gunshot cracked through the air beside them.

Their first instinct was to dive in the opposite direction into a ditch along the road.

“Shit!” Liquid spat. “Are you hit?”

“Nearly, look.” Solid pointed to where his Codec was hanging shattered from its fixed place on his chest. The shot had missed him by an inch. “It’s broken. What’re we gonna do now? How are we gonna contact -”

“Where the hell did he come from? I didn’t even bloody know he was there!” Distracted from his previous line of thinking, Solid readied his tranq gun and shimmied to the lip of the ditch. “Give me the other gun. Quick!” The brunette paused uncertainly at the request. “ _Quick!_ I’m not going to shoot _you_ \- if I wanted to kill you, you’d already be dead.”

“As if!” he snorted, flinging the spare gun in his clone’s direction. Although he thought Liquid’s statement was both delusional and arrogant, he did have a point. He still had some reservations about arming the other with a firearm, though. The rounds in that one weren’t tranquilisers, but normal bullets.

Liquid grabbed the gun and joined his duplicate. Clicking off the safety, they both peeked over the road to get a look at their assailant. The sun glinted off the muzzle of a gun around 100 yards away across the road.

“There!” Solid hissed, and lined up his shot. “I can only see one guy.” He pulled the trigger and the non-lethal round popped mutely through the silencer. “Got him. Can you see any more?”

“Nice shot. Think it was just him – maybe he was walking between outposts and saw us coming. Why don’t we go say hello?” They approached their attacker cautiously with readied weapons. He lay supine on the arid earth, a small dart situated bang in the centre of his forehead under his helmet. The camo he was wearing was dun and light grey, perfect for the surrounding landscape. There was no one else there, thankfully. “A tranq gun? Didn’t realise you were a park ranger.” Liquid raised his own gun to the unconscious man’s face and snapped off the safety.

“What are you doing?” Solid stepped toward his brother and slapped the raised arm down. “He’ll be out for another ten minutes, let’s just get out of here.” Liquid made a petulant face and aimed again.

“He was _shooting_ at us! We should at least return the favour -”

“No! Just drop it, we don’t need to kill him!” Solid moved himself between his twin and the stranger with a resolute look on his face. The fire that had recently been blaring in Liquid's eyes was present now in his.Liquid scowled back defiantly. So his blue-eyed sibling was _that_ kind of soldier. _You really are an idiot. What are you trying to prove? He's our enemy!...Your face is tanning in the sun, brother._

“Fine, whatever.” The blonde grumbled and stowed the pistol in his back pocket. Instead of turning to leave though, he rounded to the man’s head and kicked him hard in the temple with a dull _thwack_. “Have some brain damage instead, you piece of shit!” 

“That was highly unnecessary.”  

“Not to me. Hey, do you think his trousers would fit me?”

“What? Look, I’ve got his gun so let’s just – why are you taking his pants off?”

“Swapsies. They look alright to me.” He held the garments out in demonstration, then lined them up with his body to examine the size. “At least he didn’t piss himself when you put him out.” Then, he proceeded to empty his pockets and peel off his old trousers. Solid whipped his head away when he realised Liquid wasn’t wearing anything underneath. Catching his reaction, the naked Snake started to laugh. “What’s the matter? It’s nothing you don’t see in the mirror every day!” _It's still weird, Liquid. Not really an excuse, is it?_ David thought. 

“Hurry it up, would ya? Wait, what’s that?”

“Is this a biology lesson now?”

“No, you moron, over there!” the dark haired twin pointed along the path they had been taking at a shape on the blurry horizon. Solid took out his small binoculars for a better look. “Shit! Its cars – nearly a dozen of them. They’re full of people too, all armed. We gotta go _now_ , they’re coming this way!” Liquid came up behind him appropriately clothed, his expression grave.

“If we stay out here they’ll see us. There’s a tree line over there, we can make it before they get here if we run.” The terrain around them was flat. He turned back to the sleeping man. “He’s got a radio too. He must have told them we were here or something, the prick. C’mon.” Without any further delay they took off toward the trees in a sprint. It was quite the task, it was the hottest part of the day and their destination was nearly 300 metres away.

The dash swiftly became something of a race. Liquid pushed himself to get ahead, but his infuriating twin managed to keep up. After the third time he tried to break away, Solid could see what he was doing and decided to play along. He got the feeling he would never live it down otherwise. They broke through the trees at the same time, only coming to a stop once they were behind their leafy cover.

“Think I was first, there.” Liquid gasped. They were both panting laboriously, backs bent, hands pushing on their knees.

“No no no, I don’t think so.”

“I do, it was _me_ , definitely.”

“No that’s not true.”

“It is!”

“Let’s just say it was a draw.”

“But it was actually me -”

“Let’s just say it was a draw!” Solid felt like his lungs were burning. He should never have started smoking. He straightened up to check on their pursuers. 10 cars had stopped haphazardly around the man he had darted, with similarly dressed people pouring out of the vehicles to scan the area. “I don’t think they saw us running, but they’ll search here too. We should keep moving.” Faintly he heard Liquid whisper ‘ _it was me’_ under his breath like a child as he was walking away.

~

An hour later and the twins were still in the forest. The ground had ceased to be flat, and rocky hills herded them among the trees. Eventually the heat and exertion got to them, so they stopped under some shade for a drink from Solid’s sparse canteen.

“What are we gonna do about our ride outta here?” the brunette eventually spoke.

“How am I supposed to bloody know?” A few minutes of silence passed. “Will someone come looking for us?”

“After ten days without communication. They won’t send a chopper unless it’s arranged, it’s too risky to fly around here if they’re not certain we’ll be there.”

“Will FOXGLOVE be monitoring coms in the area?”

“FOX _HOUND -_ ”

“Whatever -”

 “Maybe. Yeah, I think so, if it’s long distance – the base to base kind.”

“Then all we need to do is send an SOS over the communications equipment nearby and they’ll hear it. Make it coded, say ‘snakes looking for dogs’ or something. That way any other dickhead listening won’t know what you’re on about.” Solid thought about it for a moment.

“That could work ya know. Do you know a place that uses coms like that?”

“Sure. It’s about ten miles that way.” He jabbed his thumb away from them. “Not too heavily guarded. At least, it wasn’t the last time I was there, but my visit may have prompted that to change.” Liquid studied his brother’s face cautiously. The dark rings under his eyes were like bruises. “You look beat. I know a place we can stay for the night. Bit of a dump, but it’s not too far.”

“No. I’m on a mission, I can’t sleep now.”

“How dedicated of you.”

“I feel fine. You said it was ten miles, right? Let’s go then.”

“Okay, let me put it this way then. _I’m_ going there to sleep tonight and _you’re_ coming with me. You’re welcome to stay awake if it makes you feel more like a loyal little solider, but I don’t think one evening of rest will tarnish your no doubt sterling reputation. ” Liquid got to his feet and started off without waiting for an answer. “It’s this way.”

The place was even more of a hole than Liquid’s hut. Literally, it was a hole in the ground. It had been scraped into the hard-packed earth under a boulder and long since abandoned, probably by a wolf. “This is it.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“It’s better than baking and freezing out in the open.” Liquid knelt down and scrambled head-first into the hole. He was just small enough to squeeze through. “It gets bigger once you’re in, like a den. C’mon!” Solid peered in after his twin with a grunt of annoyance. It was too dark to see anything inside.

“Looks like an animal made this. You sure it won’t come back?”

“Yes, yes, I’m the only thing that’s lived in here for ages.” Solid still wasn’t convinced, but he crawled forward anyway with a dramatic sigh of exasperation. In the end he had to lower himself onto his belly to wriggle in. The tunnel led steeply down into the earth for two metres. Once his body was halfway past the entrance he slipped on the dusty soil and slid to the bottom, colliding with his brother. “Watch it!” Liquid hissed as they disentangled clumsily.

Solid inspected the den through the gloom. It was just big enough for them to sit side by side, with their knees drawn up. They would have to remain pressed against each other, too.

“This is stupid” the blue-eyed snake mumbled.

“At least it’s cold.” Solid didn’t agree. He felt like his skin was burning where the other was touching him through his fatigues. His eyes had adjusted enough to see the sweat rolling down Liquid’s face and chest. _This isn’t right. I need to get out of here –_ “Stop fidgeting. We’re here to rest, so let’s just go to sleep.”

“I feel too hot.”

“Then take your shirt off.” _I don’t think so._ Maybe he could sit with his back to the other wall top-and-tail style; then they wouldn’t have to touch. “You’re not going to be sick, are you? I swear to God if you throw up on me, I’ll kill you.”

“N-no I’m just – gonna get some fresh air. Back in a sec.” the brunette clambered hastily back up the tunnel and out into the hot air above ground. It felt a lot less stifling up there, though. He scooted away from the entrance and sat against the boulder, trying desperately to ignore the aching between his legs. He had a massive hard-on. _What the fuck is wrong with me?! It’s the heat, that’s all. I’m just tired, I need to sleep._

“Here’s the water.” Liquid appeared at the mouth of the hole suddenly, flicking the canteen at him. Solid had never moved so fast in his life, hugging his knees to his chest to hide himself. “You look like shit. Why don’t you just try and sleep?” The blonde leered at him suspiciously. “Are you claustrophobic?”

“No, just hot. I’ll be there in a second.” He reached for the flask and took a gulp gratefully.

“This better not be sunstroke. That bandana isn’t really helping, is it.” Then he disappeared again.

A few minutes later and he wasn’t flagging at all. _Jesus Christ. Maybe he won’t notice in the dark – not if I sit like this._ If he stayed there any longer Liquid would know something was wrong. _This whole week has been one giant shit-show._ There _was_ something he could do to get rid of it, but he didn’t feel like he had enough time. And if his clone brother were to come looking for him and find him… That settled it, then. Back down the hole he went.

Liquid settled once Solid was wedged back in the den. He leaned his weight onto the wall and pillowed his head on his shoulder. “Sleep tight, brother. And don’t you dare be sick.” _I think my head is where the sickness is._ Why had being squished against the blonde snake make him react like that? _Stress, its stress. It does all kinds of weird shit to your body. First The Information, then_ Operation Snake Charmer _\- it’s my body telling me I need a break. Some R &R. It’s nothing to do with _him _._ Solid cast his gaze over to where the other had managed to drift off. _I mean, not that he's unattractive...Wait that’s not – it doesn’t – it’s beside the point!_ He held his dizzy head in his hands. _Just…fall asleep already…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to get a bit smutty :3


	3. Eli's 5 steps to Coping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh how the tables have turned...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry

When Liquid Snake half woke up the sky was starry outside. The cold night air was seeping in through the tunnel onto his back, but his front felt comfortably warm. He pressed himself into the heat sleepily, nuzzling his face into the pillow. _What time is it? Ugh, I don’t want to get up yet!_ Had his shitty bed always felt this nice? As his mind slowly came back to him he noticed something weird about how he was leaning. Or rather _who_ he was leaning on.

Sometime during the night he had shifted his weight onto Solid, and now sat chest against his side, arms around his middle and face in the crook of his neck. He could feel the pulsing of his jugular on his lips. _Oh shit!_ As he made to move away Solid stirred in his sleep. _Nonononono don’t wake up!_ Liquid froze, waiting for the other to make the mortifying discovery…but his brother decided to stay oblivious. _Fffffffffuck. If I move he’ll feel it and get up immediately. How the hell am I going to play this off? ‘Sorry, I just sort of fell onto you’? I need to make it look like this was_ his _fault somehow._

Amid his internal frenzy, he was becoming increasingly aware of their proximity. As well as the steady heartbeat, he could feel Solid’s breath huffing through his windpipe, and the bob of his Adam’s apple as he swallowed. _God it’s too hot down here. This is just my bloody luck innit!_ Liquid felt the seconds tick by painfully. He licked his dry lips and tasted his clone’s sweat on them. His gut fell sharply away from his body. _He tastes like he smells (don’t describe it to yourself, don’t even think about it). (I’m not, I’m not even thinking about it, at all). (Kinda sweaty) (NO don’t) (But not the gross kind that makes you gag) (Stop)._ He’d always had a problem with invasive thoughts.

In his sleep Solid was dreaming. He made a little noise in his throat that was mean to be words, and Liquid felt the vibration through his body. Again he tried to repeat himself sluggishly and started twitching for a moment. _He’s like a dog having ‘the running dream’ or something_. When he spoke the third time it was intelligible: “Mmmhhh…yeah, that’s…” Suddenly Liquid’s body was fizzing with electricity. _Is he? Is he dreaming about?_ It felt like nerves, but far more feverish. _Nope – now I really have to get out of here_.

[In his dream, David stood before a stuffy superior.

"Solid Snake?"

"Yep." His superior handed him a set of keys as a reward for a mission well-executed. A nondescript member of FOXHOUND staff led him to a door, and waited for him to unlock it. The door swung open to reveal a room completely full of puppies, bumbling excitedly over each other and yip-yapping at him. He sat in the middle of the room and they swarmed over him in a gaggle of velvety fluff. "This is so cool! Is this really for me?" He asked.

"Yes, your father arranged this for you. Didn't he tell you?"

"My father?" _Who was that again?_   His unconscious mind conjured up the likeness of a thick, scarred snake that wound it's way up his body and settled like a scarf tight about his neck. "...Yeah, that's right, he did tell me." He picked a wolf-like puppy with one eye up and blew a raspberry on it's chubby belly. This really was a sweet dream.]

Liquid tore himself away ungracefully, miraculously succeeding in not waking the other up from his delightful imaginations. Clawing at the soil, he wormed his way back out into the gloriously chilly night. The blonde moved around the boulder until he was behind the entrance to the den, and started pacing in agitation. _What the fuck was that all about? I feel really..._ How did he feel? He wasn't good at putting his emotions into words, and this sensation wasn't very familiar. Although he couldn't remember it at this disturbing moment, he had actually experienced this feeling before a few years ago. 

He had been sneaking through a military outpost at night, on the prowl for ration packs and hopefully shampoo. All the guards were either asleep or standing idly at the road (doing a terrible job of keeping watch). Out of sight, at the outskirts of the wooden buildings dotted at the post, he rounded a corner and nearly wandered into a pair of guards. He caught himself quickly and edged his way back behind some cover. The hadn't seen him - they were preoccupied after all. One of them was standing with his back against a wall, panting. The other was on his knees in front of him, bobbing his head fluidly. 

 _Oh God_. Liquid couldn't quite believe what he was seeing. _Those two guys, they...they...he-he's got his mouth over him._ The one receiving tilted his head back with a long moan that Liquid felt in his groin. _Oh God, I shouldn't be watching this._ His traitorous body didn't agree. He couldn't move, couldn't bring himself to look away. Without realising it he brought his hand down to cup over his erection. _I shouldn't be watching this..._ His palm ground into the hardness instinctively, and he came suddenly with a pitiful whimper. Luckily no one had heard it but him. The spell of arousal broken, he gained some control back over his body and fled the scene of his crime. 

He tried not to think about what had happened. The memory made him feel dirty in a way none of his other sins did. Forgetting wasn't easy, though. He had been 16 at the time, and his piquing interest in the male body was frightening. Growing up around the elite and military had taught him that that interest was Gay, and being Gay was Wrong. That it automatically made you unmanly, inhuman and weak. As a child soldier in Africa he had joined the other children in religiously abhorring it, accusing others as a means of defense and attacking them for their perceived crime. The unethical attitude towards homosexuality served him well wherever he went.

Even after his turbulent puberty he was not willing to explore any aspect of his sexuality. He hadn't even so much as kissed a girl yet.  _I don't like people touching me_ was the reason he gave himself. Although that was true, on some hidden level he was afraid of being intimate with a girl in case he didn't like it. This way he could tell himself he was straight, he just hadn't found anyone yet. They weren't pretty enough for him, that was the problem.

Now, pacing around above ground, the old hat panic at his own arousal was washing over him again. The frustration he felt at himself and the entire situation made him want to scream and tear his own hair out. His coping mechanisms for overwhelming emotion were:

  1. get angry and violent then inflict pain on someone
  2. get angry and sad then weep
  3. get angry and disgusted then inflict pain on himself
  4. get angry and scream like a banshee until he was hoarse
  5. jerk off furiously



He found the latter was the less destructive way to blow off steam. Sometimes he did all five, in that order. 

Not wanting to wake his sibling from their slumber or give any indication that something was amiss, he decided step five was the way to go now. He began the ritual of getting on his knees, taking himself out of his trousers and starting up at a punishing pace. He had never, ever touched himself for pleasure - always it was to try and rid himself of his unbearable emotion. As a result it was hard for him to become aroused, and his orgasms were so muted he barely felt them. The only pleasurable ones he had ever had were the time he had watched the guard get a blowjob...And another time when he had separated someone's head, heart and liver from their body for insulting him. When the goring hadn't been enough to calm his irritation he had used 'step 5' to deal with the erection the mutilation had given him. 

This time he didn't bother wetting his hand. The soreness worked in the same way the wanking did, to dampen the emotional pain. _God I hope Solid doesn't wake up and find me...That would be so embarrassing...The prim-and-proper soldier in him would absolutely die!_ He snickered humourlessly over the dry noise of his hand tugging insistently over his foreskin. _The look on his face would be priceless!...I wonder if it would make him hot. I wonder if he wouldn't be able to stop thinking about it..._ The butterflies of excitement had returned to his gut, but he told himself it was just the thrill of potentially getting caught making him panicky. _I wonder if...it would make him want to touch himself too._

A thrill shot through him like a bolt, and he shuddered. _What would he think about when he pleasured himself? Maybe he'd imagine me naked. Well, he did see me earlier on...Maybe he'd think about kissing me. I bet his lips taste like his neck does._ Now he felt the electrical stabbing each time his fist reached the head of his cock, and each harsh breath ended with a little 'ah'. _He'd make a noise like that guard did, over and over again. He'd be sweating too, like he was today. He'd say: 'You feel so good, please don't stop, Eli'-_

His orgasm smacked into him and he pumped himself through it with a loud groan, spurting thick ropes of semen onto the parched ground. That felt  _good_. Better than good. He had actually felt pleasure during his ejaculation this time. A cozy, post-orgasmic haze settled over him for the first time ever, but he barely had any time to enjoy it before the realisation of what he had just done hit him full-force. _Oh my God, what have I done? I-I just came thinking about a_ guy _, again. I just came thinking about SOLID SNAKE!_ Whatever comfort he had been feeling before had been completely replaced with crushing guilt and nausea. _I knew I was going to Hell anyway, but this has really sealed the deal. I have to go back in with him again. He's going to be able to_ smell _the corruption on me, he's going to be able to_ see _it, I just know it!_

Hastily kicking dirt over the sticky evidence he tucked himself away and plodded hesitantly back toward the den. _Why am I such a monster? No, it's not my fault. I was made this way, in the image of my almighty father. He's the monster here, this is his fault...Or am I different to how I should be? That cunt Ocelot once told me I was nothing like my father. It made me mad, but I wished I was glad at the time. If what he said is true, then_ I'm _the one whose wrong, whose sick._ Liquid stood at the hole, hot tears streaming down his face. _Stop fucking crying, you baby!_ He brought his forearm to his mouth, planning to bite down on it until he was bleeding and hurting, to forget about the anguish. _Wait, no - if Solid sees the bite he'll know something's wrong_. So he used his arm to rub the tears off his face harshly instead.

After another minute of drying his eyes Liquid scooted back into the den. At the bottom Solid was curled up, snoring lightly. When he climbed carefully over him to reach his spot the brunette stirred and woke up.

"Wassamatter?" he mumbled drowsily. 

"I had to pee."

"'S'it morning yet? Are we going?" David turned toward where the other was getting comfy in the darkness.

"No. Go back to sleep." So he did. What an obedient little trooper. Liquid got considerably less sleep that night pressed flush against his clone, and felt groggy when they tunneled out into the dawn light a few hours later. Maybe stopping for a rest had been a bad idea.

"So, then. Which way to the coms equipment?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Or am I? >:3


	4. The Bleeding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the cool comments guys!  
> The goal is at least 2,000 words per chapter  
> I'm encouraged af, so let's do this

While Liquid was struggling with himself above, Solid Snake’s sweet dreams turned sour. One moment he had been in his element, rolling around with the pups and the next he was alone, and the room had gone dark. Well, almost alone.

The dense constrictor was still with him, sleeping off a dinner of dozens of puppies in the corner. Its slick scales glinted faintly through the gloom. The only things it had left alive were David and the wolfish pup, which was dozing curled up on the serpent’s muscular coils. There was no door out of this dream, nor any windows.

David could hear the snake whispering to him unintelligibly, hissing menacingly. He didn’t move closer – he got the feeling that he didn’t want to hear what the reptile was saying. As though it could sense his wish, the eerie creature began to raise its voice, forcing him to listen.

“…is looking for him. Where is he? Oh my, where has he gone? I know. And he knows you too, and he knows where _you_ are.” The gravelly voice was familiar.

“Who knows? What are you talking about?” even in his dream his voice sounded tremulous and scared.

“Where has the snake slithered off to? If I’m a demon then your father _is the Devil Himself_!”-

Solid was thankfully torn from his sinister subconscious when his brother clambered over him awkwardly. For a second he thought that he was being attacked, but he snapped out of it at the sound of Liquid’s breathing. _Oh, it’s just you_.

“Wassamatter?”

~

If Liquid was acting strangely the next morning his brother didn’t notice. After all, he’d only known him for around 24 hours. _Let’s celebrate our 24 th anniversary, shall we? _Solid thought sardonically. _We’ll eat out and catch up – what have you been up to since I last saw you in the womb?_ He and his blonde counterpart were making good ground. They has come out of the forest an hour ago and were now marching along the barren countryside, understandably avoiding the roads.

“We’re about halfway there. Another hour, maybe.” Liquid’s voice cut abruptly through the other’s daydreaming.

“Good. I just wanna get out of here.”

“Yeah, but who knows when we’ll get picked up – or even if we can get the message out through coms, or if it’ll be heard?” the blonde kicked a rock away from his feet with a lot more force than necessary.

“Nice and cheery this morning, I see.”

“Fuck off.” _Aren’t you a happy lil’ bunny? I’m glad you’re a morning person._ They continued on in uncomfortable silence. Both of them could feel the tension, but neither knew what to say to ease it. _Mention something about the outpost. Say ‘we should find some food there’. Say ‘do you know where the coms are. Say something, anything!_

“So…I heard you lived on the Diamond Dogs’ Mother Base for a while.” _Shit, why’d I say that?_ Liquid didn’t even acknowledge that he’d said anything at all, just kept on walking. “That must have been weird, living on the ocean.” Still nothing. _Maybe I should just drop it now._ “…You knew Master Miller, right? What was he like then?”

“ _Master_ Miller? That’s a bit kinky, innit?” Solid blanched, and his twin sensed an opportunity to attack. “Are you blushing, brother? Aww, don’t tell me you have a soft spot for ol’ _Master_ Miller?” he jeered.

“ _No_. Shut up.” That wasn’t 100% true. Miller was David’s favourite instructor at FOXHOUND, and it made him feel satisfied when people would call him ‘teacher’s pet’. It meant that he was a good student, and that the Hell Master was proud of him. He was glad that someone was proud of him. He was glad that he was good at what he did. It also helped that Miller's body looked great in his khaki wifebeater. 

“Oh, yeah, real convincing! Got something you want to tell me?”

“Yeah: you’re an asshole.” The golden snake didn’t think that was very funny, so they lapsed back into the heavy silence. _Think of something_ not _stupid to say. Something he’d actually want to talk about…Like what? The machete? He likes that, I think. What about…_ Solid watched the blonde discreetly, searching for a suitable topic. _Beating people up? Generally being a dick? Shampoo?_ The last one made him smirk to himself, but he was careful to let the other catch it. His inspection finally came upon something useful. “How’d you get that scar?” He pointed to a pale line about two centimetres long slicing along his bronze bicep.

“This one? I got cut by some wanker with a sickle. I was stealing water from an irrigation ditch by his crops, so he went apeshit and started swinging the thing at me. He managed to get me, but I kicked him in the dick and ran off!” Liquid started laughing at the story. It wasn’t the usual malicious or bitter laugh, though, but genuine. Solid thought it was good to hear. _He doesn’t seem like he’s happy very often, truly happy._

“What about that one?” this time he indicated to another small scar he had spotted on his waist.

“I was at someone’s place looking for this knife they kept fucking banging on about. They wouldn’t shut up about how cool it was or how sharp it was; so I thought maybe I should have it instead. Anyway, they came home earlier than I expected with some _armed_ company, so I hid under his bed. I had to be quick to get out the window when they weren’t looking, and I cut myself of the bloody rusty bedframe! I’m surprised I didn’t get tetanus.” Despite the morbid conclusion, he was beaming. “Not as exciting as some nutjob with a scythe, though.”

“Sounded cool to me.” Liquid turned his head to give Solid a radiant smile, so blinding that the brunette had to look away sheepishly. Now it was Eli’s turn to examine his brother.

“What about you? How did you get…that one?” he gestured to a tiny scar on his jaw. Solid was surprised he saw it at all.

“Oh, yeah! That’s a funny one, actually – I was ice-skating with some friends, and one of them knocked me over. He was a shit skater!” The memory made David grin. His twin didn’t find the story quite as riveting.

“Oh. What about that one then?” To combat the Iraqi heat, Solid had rolled the long sleeves of his fatigues to his elbows, exposing a white line on his forearm.

“I was at this massive party my buddies dragged me to. Everyone shit themselves when the host’s parents came back early. I was smashed, and caught my arm on the chain link fence climbing out of their yard!” He didn’t remember an awful lot about that night, other than the fact he’d enjoyed it. Booze made it easier to talk to people, so getting along with the other teenagers where he was usually distant had been a piece of cake.

When Solid didn’t receive any feedback for a while he became aware that his twin was in a bad mood again. _What is it now? Do you not like talking about someone other than yourself?_ “What’s eating you now?”

“Nothing.”

“Something’s wrong, you’re all quiet again.”

“Thought you would have been happy about that.” Liquid snapped back. The dark haired snake stopped walking to address the sudden hostility.

“ _Jesus Christ_ , what the fuck is your problem!?” He wasn’t cowed when his clone whipped around with a look of dark fury plastered on his face.

“Life is really easy for you, innit? It’s all sunshine and rainbows, going to the park with your _mates_ and ‘Oh my god that was _so_ funny! You’re _such a riot!_ ’” He mimicked the American accent perfectly, but used the inflection a child would when mocking someone’s voice.

“WHAT? Your mad at me – because of my life, is that it? Because you think it’s _so easy_ -”

“I _know_ it’s so easy -”

“Wha-whadda ya want me to fucking say? Sorry?”

“What I want is for you to shut up!”

“Why are you pissed at me? How on earth is any of this my fault, huh?” They were shouting at each other now, their unrestrained arguing ringing out over the rocky terrain. “Are you jealous by any chance? That I can actually make friends, have people who enjoy my company? Well maybe if you weren’t such a fucking dick to _everyone_ you meet, you’d have at least one person who could tolerate you!”

Time for ‘step 1’.

Before Solid could react, his brother wound his arm back and gave him a sharp right hook to the cheek. He stumbled back, stunned for a moment. Once that moment was over, he returned the favour. Liquid was ready for the blow, but he still wasn’t quite quick enough to fully avoid it, and it caught him under the chin. The brunette swung again and the blonde caught his fist in his hand, head-butting him for good measure. Liquid’s forehead connected with the nose, and it narrowly avoided being broken when Solid tilted his head away.

 _Time for some CQC, you British bastard!_ David brought his knee up hard into his attacker’s stomach. When the other wheezed, winded, he pushed him away with the heel of his palm and launched his fist into the ribs. It landed with a dull thud through his chest. As he extended his arm for another punch the green-eyed snake grabbed it and twisted it, dislocating the elbow. Solid gave a strangled cry and collapsed on the hard ground in agony.

“How do you like that one, you bitch! I learnt that on Mother Base!”

“Ahhhahhh, you psycho!” The sight of his brother writhing around in pain was like a work of art to Liquid, his screaming music to his ears. He got on his knees, straddling Solid around the hips with his thighs. Grabbing his face with his hands, he stilled the other’s shaking head to admire his bloody work, pupils blown wide with excitement. “What’re you-” Leaning in, Liquid poked out his tongue and pressed it onto where the blood was running down David’s chin. Languidly he ran his tongue upwards through the stream of blood with a rapturous moan. Up his chin, over his lips and finally into his nostril where the red river was flowing from steadily. “The fuck’s wrong with you?” Solid managed to blurt out.

He was surprised he could find anything to say at all, the pressure of Eli’s ass grinding into his groin was very distracting. _Oh God, that noise he’s making._ He could feel that in his groin too. The blonde put his tongue away and whispered:

“Shhh, I can make it better.” Their lips ghosted over each other torturously as he spoke.

“Make what bett-AAAAAHHHHH!” Liquid popped the elbow back into place without sufficient warning. He sat up straight and starting _giggling_.

“See? All better.”

“ _Shiiiiiiit_. Get the fuck off me!” Solid shoved him away with his good left arm, and he landed unhurt. He was still laughing at him, smiling at him as though they were besties again, like he hadn’t just beat him up and did…whatever that other thing was meant to be. They followed each other to their feet. _Do you like me again now, then? Jesus, first you get angry at me over absolute bullshit, injure me, then lick my face like some kind of horny vampire! (Which one of you is horny now though?)_

As David was turning to move away and hide his unwanted erection, his brother slung his arm around his neck chummily.

“C’mon, we were only playing! Stop being grumpy!” _Grumpy? GRUMPY?_ “Smile...” Bringing his finger to the other’s face, Liquid pulled at his cheek in imitation of a smirk.

“Don’t touch me.” Solid slapped his hand away with irritation and untangled his neck from under the strong arm. “Don’t talk to me, don’t look at me. Just get walking already, I want to go home.”

“Aye aye, captain.” He was far too cheery right now.

“Don’t talk to me.”

“Okie dokie. When am I allowed to-”

“Shhhhhh-”

“-talk to you again? Can I talk to myself?” _What are you, five?_

“No, shut up. Completely. Don’t make a sound until we’re at this outpost, or so help me God-”

“Okay, grumpyguts!” _I really hate you right now._ _Really, really._

He kept his word, however, staying silent until the fenced destination came into view on the horizon seventy minutes later. He had hummed a bit, but Solid refused to let it bug him. Now they were all business, crouching behind the rocks and using the small standard issue FOXHOUND binoculars for reconnaissance.

“Well, this is it. How do you want to do this?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've got a ton of college work atm, so I apologise is the updates aren't daily :)


	5. Like a Limpet

Liquid was glad when they started fighting. Fighting he was good at. Winning a verbal battle with someone just as witty as him, not so much. Solid's words had infuriated him of course, but that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that _he had been right._ Not about his jealousy toward the other’s ability to make friends, but about his jealousy in general.

He could just picture his twin skating around and laughing and having fun while he was sleeping rough in the wild, stealing food and being attacked. Living alone.

Giddy didn’t even begin to describe how he felt when he got the upper hand. Eli did admit that maybe he had gone a little too far with the licking thing, but it wasn’t like he could have helped it. The exhilaration of a good fight always put him in a kind of trance, and the feeling was more acute since it was Solid Snake that he had beaten. His supposed equal, his oh-so fortunate brother. Who could blame him for being elated? Although he refused to admit it the eroticism of the fight hadn't been lost on him either. He attributed the urgency his body felt to the rush of adrenaline, nothing more. 

The scuffle had also been an excellent way for him to vent some the frustration he was feeling over his misdemeanour the previous night. After he had clicked the elbow back into place the chaotic whirling in his head was entirely gone, leaving behind a buzz of contentment like an afterglow. Continuing to irritate his brother in the face of his defeat was the sweetest salt to rub into the merc’s wounds, too.

 _You’re good,_ Liquid thought, _really good for a spoilt brat. I was struggling there for a moment…But your one mistake was underestimating me. Lots of people do that, though. Maybe now you’ll treat me with some respect._

~

“Well, this is it. How do you want to do this?” the blonde asked. His brother hummed thoughtfully behind the binoculars.

“There are two guards at the entrance. There’s a tarp over the fence, so you can’t see into the compound…that means we can walk along the perimeter without being spotted from inside. I think we should take these two guys out quietly, moving along the fence so they don’t know we’re there until we’re on them. You know how to choke someone out, right?” Solid ducked back behind the rock they were using as cover and handed the binoculars over.

“Yes, but wouldn’t it be more logical to kill them? If we’re not out of there before they wake up and raise the alarm, we’re fucked.”

“No, I don’t plan on being in there that long.”

“Do you get extra brownie points for each person you leave alive?”

“Oh ha ha ha. Do you know where coms is?” Liquid dropped back down to face him.

“It’s in a building with a shite painting of a tree on it. One on each side, so you can’t miss it. Let’s do it already!” His impatience was apparently contagious, as Solid started forward without a word of affirmation.

Taking out the guards was easy. They each worked their way carefully to the fencing behind them, then hugged the wall as they rushed at the sentries and knocked them out. Didn’t even know what had hit them. All according to plan. The compound was square, 200 x 200 metres. Inside there were roughly a dozen small buildings, all of chipping plaster and wooden beams. A light breeze whipped the plastic tarp against the chain link, making an eerie tinkling sound.

Something wasn’t quite right. There was no one around, no one in one of the buildings when the snakes peeked inside.

“This is weird. We should get out of here, it could be a trap.” Solid relayed to his twin with apprehension. Where the hell was everybody?

“I’d say they went out, judging by the tire tracks at the gate and the fact there are no vehicles here.”

“All of them? Would they leave just two people behind to guard a place like this?”

“Probably. The militia around here are real short on manpower; perhaps they got dispatched to another location and thought the two at the gate would be enough to deter any intruders.” That sounded right to Liquid. “HELLOOOOOO?”

“ _Shhh_ , what are you doing?! We don’t know if it’s just those guys yet!”

“YOOOO _HOOOO_!”

“Are you out of your goddamn mind?” Solid clamped his hand down on his brother’s mouth and waited for the gunfire and shouts of ‘hostile!’ to start. There was nothing but the clinking of plastic on the fence. Under his palm Liquid was still singing and laughing. “You’re impossible, ya know that? Don’t ever do that again.” he released him sullenly. _I can’t help it, you’re just too fun to annoy! I like that face you pull when you’re angry too._

“C’mon, coms is this way.”

Walking through the empty outpost was odd. There really was no one there, except for the two goons out front. In every harsh shadow thrown by the blistering sun Solid could see an enemy, but when he focused there was nothing but his imagination. “Would you calm down? You’re making me nervous…Look, we’re here now. This is it.” They came across a building identical to the others, but with a rudimentary date palm coloured on the side.

The door squealed on its ancient hinges as Liquid kicked it open. Inside was unlit, and refreshingly cool. At one end of the single rectangular room was a large two way radio – bingo! David moved toward it gratefully, and inspected the equipment for damage. All seemed in order. He could even hear the faint crackle of voices buzzing from the speaker, which had been turned down low.

“HO-LY SHIT!” Solid snapped around to face his twin upon the outburst, weapon readied and heart thrumming.

“What, what is it?” He couldn’t see any immediate danger. They were alone.

“Holy shit! Look!” Liquid was pointing at a strange contraption resting on a table perpendicular to the one the radio was stationed on. It looked like junk.

“Explosives?”

“No you dipshit, it’s a tattoo gun! Someone’s jerry-rigged it to this portable generator. Looks like it still works.” He twisted toward his brother with the ‘I’m thinking of doing something naughty’ face on: an impish grin with a glint of mischief in his green eyes that was impossible to miss. “Let’s give each other tattoos!”

“No. Fucking. Way.”

“Aww, come on, it’ll be cool! We’ll look great, I promise.”

“No, I’m not getting a tattoo! And I’m definitely not letting you anywhere near me with a pointy object.” Eli sighed, but the devious look was still there.

“Give me one then. Give me…a snake, a huge one right down my arm like this.” He dragged his finger along his shoulder and upper arm as an example. Solid was almost tempted to say yes, if only to purposely fuck it up and leave him with a permanently shitty reminder of his impetuousness. The joke would never get old.

“I can’t draw, it’ll look terrible. Unless you want a deformed stick man. Come help me with this radio, you gotta give the message in Arabic.” The blonde gave a defeated pout and dragged his feet over to the CB. He held the transmitter ready and turned to receive further directions, still pouting. “Stop with that face, you look like a kicked puppy.” Although David had meant it as a warning, he was smiling. When Eli started whining like a puppy too he burst out laughing, making the other laugh with him. Eli admired his brother’s features with sudden interest. _You should totally smile more often. You’re so cute when you laugh. (That’s really gay) Wait, that’s not what I meant-_ “Hey, you ok?” Solid had noticed the abrupt change in demeanour.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine. Tell me what to say, then.”

"Say something like...uh - 'the foxhound will find snakes here.'"

"That doesn't translate well...how about 'الثعابين تخفي هنا أين هو فوكس كلب الصيد؟'" He spoke into the transmitter clearly without interpreting first. After a pause he repeated the message, and flung the transceiver back on the table. "Let's get out of here."

~

 

 

A whole week had passed since the snakes broadcasted their distress signal. Not wanting to stray too far from the compound and their expected search party, they had scouted the wilderness nearby and found a thick copse of prickly trees on a ridge of rock to nest in while they waited. The location was perfect: less than three miles away from their signal, but out of sight from any nosey passers-by. Solid was sure FOXHOUND operatives would still be able to find them there. The ridge was steeply sloped on one side, located in a small valley created by two high cliffs. If you knew the path up the slope it was easy to reach; if not then you would have a hard time climbing it. A quiet stream ran between the cliffs, providing endless fresh water.

The clones now rested in the shade of their grove, listening to music on the cassette player Eli had decided to swipe on a supply run. While looting the surrounding outposts for food (and batteries for the tape deck) they discovered that they made a good team. They rarely had to talk to convey what they wanted during one of their little missions, working efficiently and effectively together. With the two innately talented at infiltration, their cooperation made the outings a breeze.  

Even though they still bickered daily like childish parakeets, things were getting smoother between them. There were no more physical fights, their conversations were easy and the silences were companionable.

Liquid was napping on the grassy ground with his golden hair haloed around him, oblivious to his brother’s discomfort. Solid hadn’t jerked off in a fortnight, and he was starting to get desperate. Unlike his brother he did masturbate for pleasure. Every time he tried to get away his twin would either follow him or ask where he was going, how long would he be and this is the hundredth time you’ve peed today, are you sick or something? _No, just incredibly horny. Stop shadowing me already, I need some relief!_ Neither of them bothered to keep watch at Liquid’s insistence, so there was a perfect opportunity for some private time each night. Or so it seemed. Even the tiniest noise jolted the blonde awake whenever David crept away, and his clone was just as clingy when tired (if not more so).

That was another strange thing he had discovered about Eli – he stuck to the brunette like a limpet to a rock, as though he were frightened the other would ditch him when his back was turned. He was never truly alone, even when he was washing in the stream; another excellent JO opportunity apart from the fact that his weirdo brother kept peeking his sunny head out of the copse every now and then to check he was still there. The stream wasn’t close enough for these check-ups to be considered perverted, but even so it was an odd thing to do. A _creepy_ thing to do.

Solid’s body was aching for release, so Liquid’s nap time prompted him to attempt to sneak off. With the tape deck still playing to muffle the sound of his departure, he eased up to his feet and tiptoed to the trees. A brown leaf crinkled underfoot and the sleeping snake sat up quickly.

“Huh? Where you going?” _Jesus Christ, you bat-eared fuck!_

“Thought I saw something, but it was just a bird. Why don’t you go back to sleep?” _Please, please just give me at least five minutes! God, I’ll probably be done in two at this rate._ Liquid stretched out lazily like a cat, the muscles sliding and straining in his arms and bare torso. The sight made his twin ache even more. Solid felt like a monster for being excited at his brother’s body. Disgust and shame where becoming more familiar to him; he had looked at the other snake with hunger few times already over the course of the week. What kind of twisted freak did something like that? He would stop if he could help it.

“No, that’s enough. Ooh, start this song over, I like this one!”

~

That night, after tossing and turning hopelessly, David decided he couldn’t wait any longer. Goldilocks was snoring softly beside him, curled up in a ball. It’s now or never. With extreme caution, he slunk his way through the trees silently. After a quick check that the other was still asleep, he then started to pick his was down the slope. Not a single grain of sand stirred in his wake – he was on a mission of great importance. A lifetime later Snake finally reached the spot in the valley he was looking for, an ‘L’ of rocks that would obscure him from the view of the grove above.

His trousers couldn’t unzip fast enough. He was already hard in anticipation of his long awaited fun, precome beading at the slit. A drawn out sigh escaped his lips when he wrapped his fist tight around the base, pulling it slowly upward before letting go and repeating the process. For the time being his mind was blank, he didn’t need any more stimulation. He stopped momentarily to remove his stifling shirt and spit a few times into his hand, hastily replacing it on the long shaft with an even tighter grip. At first the night air made him shiver, but he quickly adjusted.

Picking up the pace, he let his mind wander. Usually he used his imagination to conjure up a body he could touch or fantasize about someone touching him. Nine times out of ten that person was male. They were never a real person, just a generic figment (unless Master Miller had stripped his coat off to give them a demonstration the day before, then he managed to worm his way into the little trysts).

This time though the only thing his head could bring up was each occasion Liquid had caught his attention. When he had stretched earlier. When he was hefting an unconscious body out of the way. _Stop thinking about him_. When he got naked in front of him to change clothes. _This is just…sick_. When he had put his hand on Solid’s thigh accidentally trying to gain his concentration. When he had pinned him down and licked him. _God, that was so hot…_

The precome was flowing freely now, dribbling down his fingers and stringing onto the ground. His moaning was getting louder and more frequent, unaware he had an audience.

Eli was sat watching the display from behind another tumble of rocks ten metres away. He had woken up when Solid had left their thicket, becoming suspicious when he had turned back to check the coast was clear. Following him hadn’t been easy, as the other kept stopping to look around warily. And now he knew why.

At first the blonde thought he was just going to the toilet when he knelt down and fumbled with his zipper. _But then why all the cloak and dagger?_ Then he had his trousers open, his arousal plain and expectant, and started masturbating. Liquid felt like he had been hit by a train. _HoLYYyy sHiiiiiiIIiiit! He’s touching himself, right in front of me! Fuck, I shouldn’t be watching this._ But then the brunette had taken his shirt off, and his own hand had found its way down his trousers. _Ishouldn’tbewatchingthis,Ineedtoleave,itfeelssogood!_ From where he was hiding Eli could hear the panting and groaning, could see the sweat shining on his toned body in the moonlight. He fought to stay silent as he jerked himself frantically under his camo. _This is so fucked! I can’t leave, I can’t!_

The oblivious snake didn’t have a clue. In his mind he was replaying the moment Liquid had lapped the blood off his face over and over, adding in a few extra details like him sticking his tongue in his mouth and moaning his name. _Yes! Touch me more, I want it, I…I’m so close!_ The pressure built unbearably until he finally came, after two weeks with no release. The noise he made, somewhere in between a yell and a sob, would certainly have woken his twin up had he been sleeping under their dusty trees. He made the same noise again and again, each time another thick jet of semen squirted from the end of his cock.

Ten metres away his clone was cumming messily into is trousers, hand over his nose and mouth to stifle the cry that was forcing its way out.

An eternity of ecstasy later and Solid was lying spent on the jagged ground. In his catatonic state he failed to notice Eli rushing away, back to the grove. The afterglow was so strong that he wanted to stay there and sleep, but he eventually got up and stumbled back to his brother.

He was still curled up where he had left him. None the wiser. Seeing the blonde made the guilt worse, if that was possible. _I just thought about you in the worst way…You’d never forgive me if you knew. I wouldn’t if I were you – I don’t even forgive myself now. What the fuck am I doing!_ Just as carefully as he had left, David lay back down next to his sibling, facing away in shame.

Liquid was sure that the blue-eyed snake could tell something was wrong when he came back. Instead of getting shouted at or kicked as he expected he was left alone, and the other settled down to sleep himself. _Thank God. Apparently catching people at a delicate time is a reoccurring theme for me. One of these days I'll get fucking caught, and Solid will never ever speak to me again._ The thought left a hollow soreness in his chest, like a hole had been punched through it.


	6. The Sin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for the amount of times I used the word 'hand' in this chapter.

During the daytime nap which David had tried to sneak away from, Liquid dreamt. In the dream he was in a bare white room watching his twin lie at the centre, facing away from him. Around the brunette’s body a dark, heavy snake was coiled from his ankles to his jaw. This snake was less scarred than the one Solid had seen in his dreams, but it still had one eye. As Liquid opened his mouth to call out to his brother the snake started to constrict, the glossy loops flexing and writhing in tandem. Its victim wheezed and wriggled weakly.

“No, stop, you’re hurting him!” The serpent’s large head slid into view at the sound of his protest.

“No, this is you. I’m just showing you what you’re doing to him. You’re _squeezing_ the life out of him, can’t you see?” It spoke in a husky voice he had heard before, without moving its mouth. Solid cried out in pain and the noise was choked off quickly.

“Stop, you’re going to kill him!”

“NO,” the creature boomed, “it’s you! You’re suffocating him, he can’t breathe around you. He wants to leave, can’t you see, he wishes you’d never even met.” _That’s not right. (Then why does he keep trying to get away?)_

“That’s not true! He wants me to go with him -”

“He _needs_ you to go with him to complete his mission. He can’t stand you. As soon as you get to FOXHOUND he’ll leave you! He’ll try to get rid of you, he doesn’t want to be near you.” _That’s not true…Is it?_

“Solid wouldn’t do that.”

“This is you, _Eli_ , you’re strangling him and killing him, just like you do with everyone you love – and where are they now? _You’re all alone because you’re hideous inside_ -”

At that moment David trod on a dry leaf and tore the dreamer back into the waking world. The blonde saw him on his tiptoes, seeking to slink away from him. _‘He can’t stand you’_ flashed through his head and he blurted:

“Huh? Where you going?” _Don’t leave me!_

“Thought I saw something, but it was just a bird. Why don’t you go back to sleep?” _‘He’ll try to get rid of you’_ _‘He wishes you’d never even met’_

“No, that’s enough.”

~

The next morning the snakes were quieter than usual. They put the cassette player on and sat twiddling their thumbs, each thinking distractedly about what had happened the night before.

“Are we going to do something today?” the fair haired brother inquired. They had all the food, music and water they needed for now; there was hardly any point in going looting again. The outposts probably needed to restock anyway. “I’m bored.”

“Me too. When do you think FOXHOUND will find us?” At the mention of company Liquid’s mood soured even more. He didn’t want to leave. Though it had only been a week he was enjoying the little life they were living here. Lazing about in the sun and laughing, working together to raid militant settlements. Even their squabbling was amusing. “Maybe we should send another SOS. What if they didn’t hear the last one?”

“I’m sure its fine. We can try again if they’re not here in a few days.” Solid sighed and lay down on the pale grass. _Don’t look so pleased, brother. Anyone might think you’re desperate to go._

“Yeah, okay. God, it’s hot today. I swear it’s never been this bad before.” He was right, it was sweltering even in the shade.

“You’ve even taken that silly bandana off. I forgot that you had a forehead.”

“Ha! I might take my shirt off too, I’m dying over here.” An image of him stripping his top off last night leapt into Liquid’s mind and he shuddered. The brunette sat up again and started to unbutton his camo. _Oh God, just don’t look at him. Stop looking at it._ Liquid tried to be discrete, watching the other undress sidelong. When the skin was at long last exposed he felt his insides twist hotly. _You’ve got a wonderful body. It looks even better up close. (We’ve talked about this) There’s nothing wrong with a guy appreciating another guy’s physique, people do that all the time. I’m not blind, after all. I just think you look – nice._

David lay back down and folded his hands behind his head contently. “That’s better.” He opened one eye to glance at his brother. “You alright? You look a bit…flushed.”

“I’m fine, it’s just really hot.” They settled back into a relaxed hush. The occasional bird call trilled along the valley. Other than that the only sounds were the tape deck with its lowered volume and their calm breathing. Liquid picked up the navy blue bandana and twirled it around idly.

“What’re you up to?” The brunette asked in a singsong mock warning. 

“Nothing.”

“I - don’t – believe - you!” he sang to the beat of the muted music at their feet. In spite of the lingering guilt, he was in a good mood after his overwhelming orgasm the evening before. “Don’t you dare break that.”

“I’m not gonna break it, I’m just having a look.” Solid leaned forwards to snatch the fabric back, but his twin was too quick and moved it away. “Nice try.” He lunged again, and again the bandana dodged his grasp. Their eyes met over the blonde’s shoulder and it became obvious that it had turned into a game. Pretending to lose interest, David eased back slowly. Eli wasn’t fooled though, so he was ready when the third pounce came. He dove out of the way, landing between the trees in the long grass. Behind him the clone was crawling forward to grab his legs, so he slithered away into the flora.

“Come back here!” Solid chuckled. The vegetation was high and thick beneath the circle of trees, so Eli quickly vanished. “Where aarrrrre yoooou?” The grass was still and silent. “I’ll find you.” He started creeping along the edge of the shrubbery, alert for any sign of the other. There was nothing. “I can hear you. You’re no good at this!” the snake plunged into the undergrowth, expecting to discover his brother and finding nothing but sandy dirt. “Huh. Fine then, two can play at this.”

Suddenly Liquid lost track of his twin. One moment he had been crouching with his back turned to him and the next he had disappeared. _Uh-oh_. _Where did he go? I can’t tell, where is he?_ The bandana was wrapped around his hand loosely, momentarily forgotten _. I can almost_ feel _him getting closer._ When one of the snakes wanted to hide it was almost guaranteed they would stay hidden. Much like with their reptilian namesake, you wouldn’t know they were there until you got bit. And by then it was already too late.

Liquid didn’t even hear his brother come up behind him until he whispered ‘boo’ in his ear. He jumped out of his skin and leapt away into the copse again in a panic. The scare had made him forget about the game, and for a second he thought he was in actual danger. Then he heard Solid laughing and remembered. Lucky he hadn’t had a weapon on him, or he might have used it.

As he was getting up to run back into cover Solid emerged from the grass and yanked his ankles, sprawling him on his front. Before he could get up the other was on him, sitting on his back to prevent his escape. “Gotcha! Looks like _I’m_ the winner this time!” The bandana was plucked from his surrendering hand triumphantly. Liquid attempted to get up to buck him off. “Nuh-uh, I don’t think so!” David pressed his palms hard into his shoulders to bar his escape. The contact set Eli’s skin on fire. All at once he didn’t feel much like moving away. “Not before your punishment.” _My what now?_

Of all the things he had been expecting then, fingers running through his long hair certainly wasn’t one of them. _Ok, what is happening?_ Solid was gently gathering all his hair back in a bundle, untangling the knots that the diving about had created. No one had ever played with his hair like this before. He decided he liked it very much. _This is more like a reward than a punishment._ It was surprisingly relaxing. The moment stretched on placidly, and he didn’t want it to end.

Once all the strands had been assembled, the blue-eyed brother used the bandana to tie it back with a dainty bow. “Haha – there you go, much better!” David rolled off his twin and stretched for the tape deck, turning it back up. _Wait, don’t stop!_ Liquid sat up and touched the ponytail gingerly. _A bow?_ He was glad the other was facing away, so he could be flustered in peace. _I feel kinda dizzy. Fuck, what are you doing to me? (I want more!)_ “This song’s fucking terrible. I’m gonna skip it, ok?”

~

Two hours after sundown Solid had managed to fall asleep. He lay supine next to his brother, still gloriously shirtless despite the chill. Liquid, on the other hand, was wide awake. Now that the other was sleeping, he could gawk at him as conspicuously as he wanted. And gawk he did. He had been staring at him for nearly twenty minutes, his mind in a whirl. _I love the face you make when you’re sleeping. It looks so…peaceful…What’s happening to me? I feel like – like (I’m being crushed, I’m drowning) I don’t know. It’s scaring me. I don’t want this anymore!_ He would have hid his face in his hands, but he couldn’t bring himself to look away from his clone.

_I’m trying to tell myself that I don’t want you, but I do! So, so much…_ His eyes travelled hungrily down the chiselled torso, taking in every bump and crevice. Eli had to stop himself from reaching out and touching the flawless skin. _No, I can’t! (Why not? He’ll never know if it’s just one little feel) I shouldn’t be doing this. (You’ve told yourself that before, but it never stopped you)_ His hand resumed its advance, and his fingertips came into contact with the warm flesh of Solid’s belly. There was no reaction. Tentatively he flattened the palm out, stroking it softly upward along the smooth muscles. He could feel himself getting hard.

_There, that’s one touch. I can stop now._ But he didn’t. The wayward hand slid back down the way it had come, over the trail of dark hair below his bellybutton that trailed past the waistband of his trousers. And then up again. He kept watching for any response from the unconscious merc. _I need you to stay asleep for me._ Then he got a very disturbing idea. _Your gun – if I tranquilise you, you won’t wake up_.

Not taking any time to dwell on how insidious the plan was, he crawled over to the pistol lying next to his machete. The silencer was still in good nick. Perfect. Aiming at the neck, he planned to put him out immediately and not leave too noticeable a mark. The barrel shook slightly with his trembling, but the dart hit the mark regardless. Time to get to work.

Liquid knelt next to his brother hesitantly. _How should I start?_ His hands hovered indecisively. _Uh…I’ll get closer first._ Slowly, as if still afraid the other would wake, he swung his leg over his middle and straddled him; sitting on his pelvis. _That’s better. Now I can just…_ Quivering, he placed his hands onto the firm pectorals and dragged them down with a hitch in his breath. His erection throbbed painfully under his stolen clothes. _You feel just as incredible as I thought you would._ He ran his palms over every inch he could reach, over his sides, along his arms, down his chest and stomach. Solid’s nipples peaked under his rubbing fingers. _Does that feel good?_

David’s face didn’t look as though he even felt it. Liquid gazed down at him. _You’re so beautiful._ Shyly, he leaned forward to get a better look. _You’re so kind to me…I’ve never liked anyone as much as I like you. I like being around you, I like talking to you, I like it when you smile at me…I wish I made you feel the same way. (‘He can’t stand you’) For now, let’s just pretend that you do._ Closing the small gap between them, he lowered his lips onto his.

Solid’s mouth was as warm as the rest of him, and spectacularly soft. Eli mouthed at him gently, each movement ending in a wet smooching sound. Unable to wait any longer, he freed his leaking erection and started to play with it. _Kiss me, Solid Snake. I want it. I_ need _it. Kiss me back…_ A fat tear rolled down the blonde’s cheek and fell onto his brother’s. _Please. Please help me._ He moaned into the kiss weakly. _I want to make you feel good too._

Breaking away reluctantly to breathe, Liquid admired his twin’s handsome face. Their lips were wet with saliva. _I want to make you feel good too_. Shuffling his ass further down onto the thighs, he gained access to the other’s zipper. With one hand (the other was still busy pumping his cock) he undid the belt and tugged the zip down. _This is by far the worst thing I’ve ever done. And that’s really saying something._ Hooking his fingers around the band of David’s underwear he pulled them down, exposing him. Obviously, he was soft. Eli paused for a moment to appreciate the sight. It turned out _every_ part of their bodies were identical. It was strange to see his own dick on someone else’s body, with dark pubic hair.

Timidly, took the flaccid member between his thumb and index finger, pulling the foreskin back from the head. His fist tightened around himself. He repeated the action over and over, pulling further back each time. Eventually, he felt the cock twitch and begin to fill out under his ministrations. _Yes, that’s it._ More fingers were added until he was using the whole hand to stimulate him. The brunette was getting hard fast, the impressive length thickening and swelling. _Is that good? Do you like it when I touch you?_ Liquid was rapidly approaching his own orgasm. Moving forward slightly, he pressed their penises flush together and used one arm to jerk them.

Now he was beyond caring about what might wake the other up. His moaning rang clearly in the night. “Ohhh God, you’re so fucking…ah, you’re so – ahhh, _fuck_!” The pleasure was increasing steadily. He wouldn’t last much longer, not with the sight of his twin lying there in front of him, completely his. “ _Fuck me, Solid Snake!_ I need it!” His gut wrenched and he climaxed, shouting wordlessly and cupping the spare hand over the tip to catch the stream of cum. _Holy shit!_ _HOLY SHIT!_

Coming down from his dizzying high Liquid slid off his brother’s lap, flicking the semen away with disgust. His insides felt like they had been scooped right out. _I’ve never cum so hard in my life…_ Gradually his hazy attention came back to rest on his unconscious twin, who was still hard and waiting. The mortification at the situation was creeping up on him. _What have I done now? What is_ wrong _with me?_ A heavy sob worked its way up his throat. _I don’t deserve you at all. Should I even finish you off? No, I don’t deserve to touch you._

Contrary to his thoughts he found himself tugging at the oozing shaft again. The throbbing quickened in tempo and he readied the cupped hand. Solid came with a soft grunt in his sleep, subtly arching his back and spilling into his brother’s palm. Liquid wasted no time in tucking him away again. _'You’re_ squeezing _the life out of him, can’t you see?'.'You’re all alone because you’re hideous inside'_. He rushed off to the stream to scrub the sin off himself, cry and vomit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Psst - Eli's a pervert, pass it on!  
> But the real pervert was me all along >:3


	7. Tired Tigers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not too sure about this one, but I did try  
> Thanks for checking the fic out! Hope you're all enjoying it as much as I am

Lying sound asleep in a circle of tangled trees was how the FOXHOUND operatives found them the next morning at the crack of dawn. Intel had intercepted a suspicious broadcast 11 days ago from a militant compound three miles away, and determined that it was a message from their promising young mercenary Solid Snake; who had suddenly lost contact with them during a mission around the same time.

Big Boss himself had chosen four skilled trackers in his workforce to locate them. The boys would be hidden well, he had no doubt. Failure was not an option. He also had a sneaking suspicion that Eli was responsible for the loss of contact, but then why would someone try to contact FOXHOUND the next day?

It was 6pm in Alaska at FOXHOUND’s base while the sun was rising in Iraq a world away. Venom Snake was reclining in his study in the modest house he had on the massive base. He was supposed to be completing the mountain of paperwork piled on the desk, but he was deep in thought. _Eleven days…He could be anywhere by now. God knows what’s happened to them out there. If he slips away again it’ll be another eight years before I find him again._ With a world weary sigh he rose from the aging leather chair and left the study. A walk would clear his head.

Instead of making his way to the door he found himself in his bedroom, looking in his wardrobe. Tucked discretely at the back behind a crate of old prosthetics was a shoebox. It had been avoided so long that a grimy layer of dust had settled over it. With great care, as though it might shatter, Venom lifted the box from its corner and brought it out into the open. _Put it back._ He blew the dust off and went back into the study.

The lid came of easily. Inside was filled nearly to the brim with photographs and random objects. The first thing he saw was a neatly folded bandana resting on the top. _Hers_. With reverence he picked it up and moved it aside. Next was an MSF patch from an old uniform. Not what he was looking for.

With his flesh hand he gathered all the polaroids and started sorting through them. There was one of him and Kaz sitting together on a beach in Costa Rica. There was one of him on a white horse in Afghanistan. There was one of Chico, Amanda and Paz pulling faces at the camera. The oldest one was in sepia: it was him as a teenager petting a tiger. He could still remember that day, even though the memory technically wasn’t his.

The circus had come through town, and everyone was dying to see what it had brought with it. Bright tents with clowns, elephants, lions, tigers, bears, monkeys, the whole shebang. He didn’t have any money to get a ticket, but a handler had led a tired tiger around town on a chain to entice people to visit their performances. Of course, there was a giant crowd gathered around them as they went. But, determined even as a youngster, he finally pushed his way to the front for a peek. A French tourist had offered him a picture with the beast in broken English. They had a bulky instant camera with them. He said yes, and smiled for the snapshot next to the jaded cat. How kind of them.

He could still feel the striking fur under his missing fingers, feel the way the skin and dangerous muscle slid over the ribs as it breathed. That had been before everything turned to shit. Before The Boss, before the CIA, the Green Berets, MSF, Les Enfants Terribles. That was the closest he had ever come to being happy. Did he even know what happiness was? His childhood had been rough and his adulthood was a deplorable Hellscape of horrors.

Eventually he happened upon the pictures he was searching for. They all featured the same thing, more or less. A fluffy wolf lying at the feet of a blonde boy. A blonde boy posing next to a disinterested zebra. A blonde boy sitting on his shoulders wearing Kaz’s sunglasses and beret. Yes, he had known what happiness was. Then it had left him, re-opening the raw hole in his heart.

He was torn away from his absorption when the phone rang insistently. It was Miller. He sounded nervous.

“Boss…”

“What is it, Kaz?”

“They’ve found them.”

  _It’s time to come home, Eli._

~

When Solid woke up he could feel something was wrong. The crickets had stopped chirping, and the air hung still as if the world was holding its breath. Leaves crunched under a footfall outside the grove, and he knew someone was there. _Where’s my gun? Have they already seen us?_ He tilted his head slightly, frantically looking for the weapon.

“Solid Snake?” A voice called through the trees. In a matter of seconds he had reached the pistol, and trained it toward the intruder. “Woah, woah, kid! Don’t shoot, it’s Panda from FOXHOUND!” The gun was lowered. “Jesus, you trying to give me a fucking heart attack? Orca, c’mere. It’s them alright.” Another figure materialised from the thicket behind Panda.

“We’ve spent the last eight days looking for you shits. Ox and Shrew are out too, trying to find ya. All this time you were cosy as kittens up here – fucking hell, Snake, are you a hide-and-seek master or what!” Orca beamed and stepped forward, clapping hands with Solid and pulling him to his feet.

“You took your time, that's for sure! Sorry guys, my codec got _shot_. That’s just my luck, huh!”

“Bullshit, you’re the luckiest guy I’ve ever met. Wake sleeping beauty up, I wanna go home already.” The mercs went back through the trees the way they had come, leaving David to rouse his twin. Liquid lay on his side, golden hair falling over his face.

“Liquid. _Liquid_. Wakey wakey!” the brunette shook his shoulder gently. Sulkily the other grumbled and rolled away. “Get up, they’re here. We gotta go.” Liquid went rigid for a second before answering:

“Is that right?...Well, let’s not keep them waiting.” Slowly he got to his feet and replaced the machete in his belt loop, picking up a few ration packs and the cassette player. Solid followed suit. _He’s acting a bit weird. At least, weird for him. Shit, he must be nervous about going! He’s been living like this for so long, it’ll be a real shock to the system when he gets back…_ Stepping forward, he placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder and gave him his most reassuring smile. Liquid flinched like he’d been burnt. David sighed and started toward the others. _Suit yourself. Tryna be nice over here._  

“Sometime today would be nice ladies! C’mon let’s – holy shit!” Panda exclaimed when Eli emerged from the grove behind his clone. “You’re, like, fucking identical! That’s so fuckin’ spooky! Take a look at this, Orca!” The soldier elbowed his buddy, who was busy radioing the other operatives that their quarry was on its way to the rendezvous point.

“Woah, that’s creepy as shit! Didn’t know you had a clone, Snake.” He had no idea how right he was.

“Err, yeah; this is my twin Liquid Snake. Liquid, this is Orca and Panda.”

“You’ve got a face like thunder, dude. Who spat in your morning coffee, huh?” Panda made to slap Eli on the back playfully, but was stopped by his evil death stare.

“Don’t touch me. Ever.” Everyone grew silent at the unexpected outburst. Panda gave an awkward laugh and cleared his throat.

“Uh, okay. Listen, the rendezvous point is a mile from here, so let’s get going.” The older mercs marched away hurriedly. They gave each other a ‘what the fuck’ look as they turned. Solid was glaring at his brother. _What the fuck is your problem?_

Their quick journey across the sandy landscape was executed in near complete silence. The blistering sun shot smoothly into the sky, shortening the shadows and chasing the nighttime creatures away. _Being nervous doesn't excuse acting like this much of a fuckwit. God, it's so cringy! You're making these guys think we're tools. I have a reputation to maintain._  A chopper was already waiting for them along with Ox and Shrew. They boarded without any introductions (much to Solid's relief - he didn't want Liquid to cause a another scene), and were in the air five minutes later. There were twelve seats in the cabin but Liquid chose the one directly next to Solid, herding him to the end so no one could take another seat next to his twin. Having felt the air of hostility rolling off Eli in noxious waves the others sat at the other end of the cabin, giving him space.

Once they were travelling the bad attitude didn’t get any better. Whenever someone called over to Solid the blonde would shoot them a look so venomous it was physically painful. Under the deafening beating of the blades David leaned into to the testy snake in order to be heard.

“Would you calm down a bit? You’re making everyone uncomfortable.”

“I _am_ calm.”

“You know what I mean. Listen, I get that you’re not a people person, and I know that you’re probably worried about getting to FOXHOUND and everything but you need to dial it back.” Now it was the brunette’s turn to receive the death stare.

“Oh, I’m sorry, am I showing you up in front of The Lads?” _Sarcy bastard._

“Yes, actually, you are! Stop being a dick, it’s embarrassing me!” Eli wasn’t scowling anymore. He just looked offended.

“Fine then. I guess it’s lucky that you won’t have to be seen with me once this is over.” He crossed his arms and shouldered David away rudely. _Wait that’s not what I meant. Please don’t be like that._ Instead of apologising he let him fume in peace. Hopefully he would burn out soon and recover his bruised pride. _Yeah right._

~

The chopper stopped for fuel on an old whaler at the halfway(ish) point. Diamond Dogs’ property. Since Big Boss ran both organisations (if that’s what you would call them) they often shared supplies – including staff. FOXHOUND trained and employed mercenaries, D.D. mostly just employed them. Usually a recruit would complete their training with FOXHOUND to be assigned to D.D.

It was full dark on the _Heiwa Maru_. Around them the ocean roared threateningly, swirling like ink under the cold stars. They had all gotten out to stretch their legs while the helicopter refilled, and Eli had disappeared as soon as his feet hit the deck. As Solid was heading to find him, he was pulled aside in the empty canteen by the other FOXHOUND members.

“What’s the deal with your brother?”

“Yeah, he’s a fuckin’ lunatic!” _You’re not wrong._

“He just doesn’t like people much. I wouldn’t take it personally.” He assured them.

“No shit! No wonder you never mentioned him.” _It’s a bit more complicated than that._

“Have any of you guys seen where he went?”

“No, sorry kid.” As he was walking away he heard Shrew mutter ‘He probably went to find someone and suck their freakin’ soul out!’. Orca hit him around the head, but they were all snickering anyway.

He found Liquid a quarter of an hour later in the cargo hold. The blonde was sitting among the crates, holding an armband with the Diamond Dogs logo sewn onto it. Solid heard him sniffle. _Is he crying? Is it because of what I said? No, it must be the D.D. emblem. Maybe I should go, he wouldn’t want me to see._

“Liquid?” _Shit. Too late now._ His twin started at the interruption.

“ _Fuck off_ Solid, I don’t want to see you!” He didn’t turn around to face him, but he did rub at his cheeks doggedly.

“You ok?”

“What does it look like Sherlock Holmes? Go away.” David hesitated, then strode over and sat down beside him. Before his butt even hit the floor Liquid shoved him, hard. “Fuck off!” His shoulder banged into a crate. _You’re not getting your way this time._

“Are you scared?” The green-eyed snake snorted.

“Of what, you? Don’t flatter yourself.”

“Of coming with me…Miller said that you ran away from Mother Base all those years ago. Was it because of our father?” There was no reply. Eli tightened his fist around the armband. David sighed. “Back in the chopper you said I could ditch you when we got back. Do you think that’s what’s gonna happen?” _You think I’m that much of a dick?_

“Everyone ditches me eventually, once they see what I am.” Liquid whispered so lowly his brother almost didn’t catch it. What? Was he talking about all the killing he had done? It wasn’t like Solid was a stranger to that, even though they were still young. He felt he knew what he was talking about though. Killing someone was a sin in and of itself, but _enjoying_ it was something else. It was perverse. Solid wasn’t a stranger to that, either.

The first time he had killed a guy he had felt a disturbing kind of euphoria wash over him. It was the same with all the subsequent times as well. Like he was _made_ to do it. And that fact terrified him. So, he tried not to kill where he was able; to try and convince himself and the rest of the world that he hated it. _If you could see into my head you’d think me a monster too._

“What are you that I’m not?” he asked softly. Once again there was no answer. _It’s not like I don’t understand – we’re both snakes after all. We have no life but the one we were created for. And what a wonderful life that is._ He looped his arms around the other’s middle suddenly and pulled him into a hug. It was awkward because of the angle. “I’m not gonna leave you. What kind of brother would I be then?” Liquid melted and hugged him back, twisting his body into the embrace so that they were chest to chest. They sat like that quietly for a minute. “Why did you agree to come back with me, Liquid?” The blonde mumbled something inaudibly into his neck. “What?”

“Eli. My real name is Eli.” That was unexpected. _It suits you_. After a pause he replied:

“Mine’s David.” Liquid hummed back. When he pulled back slightly his eyes were averted shyly.

“David, I…thank you, for coming to find me.”

“I couldn’t let you sulk like a big baby.” He smiled.

“No, I mean in Iraq. I’m glad it was you.” Their faces were so close that they were whispering to each other.

“No problem.”

“…I…” Eli’s emerald eyes were trained on his lips and his breathing was getting heavier. “…You’re too good to me.” Letting his lids shut, he canted his head and pressed their lips together gently. _WHATTHEFUUUCNJDVMNFJDBVDF!!!_ Solid recoiled as though he’d been doused with acid.

“WH-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” he looked at his twin, eyes wide with shock.

“I-I – no it wasn’t- I never – I-I didn’t mean to do that!” The brunette was already on his feet, rushing up the iron stairs leading out of the hold. “NO, wait please Solid, _please!_ ” The metal door swung shut with a resounding _clang._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was angsty as fuck m8  
> I’ve done a bit of math for this one – if Big Boss was 29 in 1964, 39 in 1974 etc. that means he was born in 1935. He met The Boss in 1950, at fifteen. Instant cameras where invented in 1948.  
> Lemme know what ya think <3


	8. Home Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoooo doggie let's go

The metal door swung shut with a resounding _clang_ that Liquid felt echo through his body. _No no no no no nonono! This can’t be happening! Why? Why did I have to go and do that? I’m so stupid stupid STUPID!_ He was frozen in place on his hands and knees, fingers digging bloody crescents into his palms. (‘ _You’re suffocating him, he can’t breathe around you’) I’ve ruined it – he’s never gonna want to speak to me again or see me ever again!_ At that moment he retched, the thin vomit spilling onto the swaying floor.

He didn’t know which was worse – the anger he felt at himself for having zero self-control, or the anguish of knowing that David had rejected him after he had opened up. Trembling, he got to his feet in an effort to follow after his twin. At the foot of the staircase he threw up again, the acid burning in his throat. _This can’t be happening to me!_ The going was slow, but he managed to climb the stairs and heave the heavy door back open.

Should he call out? No, someone else might hear. One of those insufferable FOXHOLE mercs might come running and see him, looking a right state. He needed to wash up first or they would know something was up when it was time to board the helicopter again. There was a bathroom on this floor.

His reflection looked a bit like he felt, but nowhere near as shit. Tears were drying on his cheeks, snot and puke were dribbling down his chin and on the back of his hand where he had tried to wipe it away _. Gross. This couldn’t possibly get any worse._ Running the tap and splashing the frigid water on his burning face wasn’t much of a relief.

His mind was in a tangle, as it so often had been this past twelve days. _How the fuck am I going to talk my way out of this one? What am I gonna say? ‘Sorry, I slipped’? ‘I didn’t see you there, it was an accident!’_ It was a mistake, but at the time it hadn’t been an accident. He had meant to do it, he just didn’t think it through first. _As usual._ There was no towel to dry his face so he just used a ball of toilet roll. The fog horn blared somewhere of the ship, penetrating through the vibrating metal walls effortlessly. That meant the chopper was ready. _He_ wasn’t ready though. Solid would be waiting for him there. The remainder of the flight would take the better part of a day. And those annoying FOXTROT soldiers would be flying with them… Before he left he bit down on the flesh between his thumb and forefinger, hard enough to draw blood.

When he got to the helipad of the _Heiwa Maru_ the others had already boarded. David had sat himself on the end of the row next to the window beside Ox. He looked like he was going to vomit too, glaring anxiously at his clasped hands. His eyes screwed shut when Eli clambered on, taking his seat alone at the other end of the cabin. During take-off the brunette still didn’t look up from his hands. Nor an hour into the flight. Nor two hours in, three hours. Liquid, on the other hand, had been staring at him the entire time. _Please look at me, please!_

“You’re not gonna be sick are ya?” Ox had asked after noticing Solid’s bilious demeanour. He shook his head.

“No, I’m fine.”

“Whatever you say, kid. Just not over me, ok?”

~

The sky was a kaleidoscope of purple, pink and orange when the chopper next landed in Alaska. They had flown all through the remainder of the night from the whaler, as well as the most of that day. As the copter descended gradually the view over the landscape was breath-taking; the fading light cast a colourful mantle over the blanketing snow, making it shimmer like glitter. It didn’t do much to lift either of the twin’s spirits though.

The welcome party consisted of Panda’s wife Mink and Kazuhira Miller. Mink danced over to her tired husband as he jumped out and threw her arms around him. Shrew said something along the lines of ‘keep her warm for me, Sprinting Panda’ and got another slap around the head. Usually Miller would have laughed in that bitter way he had long since adopted, but right now he was on edge. Eli was on that helicopter with Solid. He had brought him back. Had he changed at all? What would he say to him after being away for so long? The loud mercs shuffled away, the gravel crunching under their exhausted feet.

Solid was quick to get out of the aircraft. He planned to rush off and leave Eli with whoever must have been waiting to collect him but when he saw that it was Master Miller he froze.

“Solid Snake.” His Master called to him. What choice did he have but to obey? “Well done, kid. You did good – extraordinary, even. Your father’s real proud.” He wasn’t too sure what to make of that. Master Miller praising him and mentioning his father in one go was a lot to process – especially with his head in the tumult it was in at that moment.

“Thank you, Master.”

“Where is he?” Liquid still hadn’t appeared.

“Uhh, in the chopper. Listen, I’m quite tired, is it ok if I go?” That was odd. Solid had never complained about being tired before. He’d never _complained_ before.

“Sure, kid. You okay?” _You look a little pale._

“Yes, just tired. Thank you Master.” And with that he scurried off over the gritted path toward the Cadet Quarter. Just as he was turning back to the helicopter, Eli was climbing out. Kaz had been waiting for this, as had Venom.

The biggest difference was just how much he had grown. Solid Snake was a good benchmark for their growth in his absence, yet somehow Kaz was still expecting a child to come storming out. His hair was slightly longer than it had been eight years ago. Even in the minus zero weather he was shirtless, highlighting the fact that his body had become that of a man’s rather than a little boy’s – and a strong one too. _Just like his father._ Liquid’s face was downcast, refusing to look at him like a cowed dog.

“Eli.” He flinched at his name. “You’ve grown.”

“…Yeah. You got a new arm.”

“Yeah.”

“It’s nice.” _What do I say now? He won’t want me to hug him._ The silence stretched on uncomfortably.

“V’s waiting for you, kid. We shouldn’t keep him.” Kaz started up the gravel path.

“Wait.” _You must be dreading it, kiddo._ “Where’s David?” _Solid Snake?_

“He went back to his room, he said he was tired. Why, something wrong?”

“No…I was just wondering. Uh…when do you think I’ll see him again?” _What’s all this about?_

“Dunno, better talk to V about it. C’mon, let’s just get it over with.

~

FOXHOUND had more than one base of operation. There was one in Canada and two in Alaska (one of which was specifically an R+D and weapons hangar on an island off the frozen coast). Liquid was currently sat in the primary base on mainland Alaska outside Big Boss’s office. He was more than a little nervous. The last time he had seen Venom had been from the cockpit of a giant nuclear weapon as he was making his escape from Mother Base.

The truth was that he had abandoned V. Repaid his kindness with betrayal, all because he knew his real father was lying to him. To all of them. When he had learnt The Truth he had been so mad, so _devastated_ that it had made something snap inside him. He’d never even fucking met his real father. That cunt thought he could hide behind a doppelganger and laugh at him from the shadows. He was a coward. Liquid hated him.

But he didn’t hate Venom. V was the first human who was even remotely decent to him. Even after learning that he was just a phantom, he told Eli that it didn’t change anything and that he still loved him. Ahab may not have been his father, but he was his dad. At the time Liquid had felt that that love was just another knife his real father was twisting into his life to make him suffer. In the end his true sire had still forsaken him.

He’d deserted him – for what? To chase after shadows for the next eight years, cursing his fate.  

“You have to go in at some point, Eli.” Kaz muttered next to him.

“ _I know that_. I’m just…thinking.”

“Careful, you might hurt yourself!” _Hilarious. Alright, I think I’ve delayed the inevitable for long enough._ He stood.

~

In the pale dawn light Solid lay in his bunk, staring at the mattress above him. He hadn’t slept at all last night.  The same frantic array of thoughts had been playing over and over in his head. _He kissed me! He_ kissed _me! Not in the way brothers are supposed to kiss each other though. In the way_ lovers _kiss each other. What did he mean by it? Why did he do it?...Does he want me, it that it?_ The memory of him jerking off while thinking about the blonde supplied itself unhelpfully, only serving to confuse him more. _Do_ I _want_ him _? No, that time was a mistake. (What about the other times then?) Urgh, I don’t know! I don’t know what to do!_

One of his fellow rookies snorted in his sleep and rolled over noisily. _I ran away from him. He said he didn’t mean it, but it didn’t seem that way to me…If he really did mean it, then where do we go from here? We’re supposed to be brothers! Sure we didn’t grow up together, but still! We can’t go back to how it was after that…_ The thought was a scary one. He really enjoyed Liquid’s company, even if he was annoying sometimes. He treasured their friendship. Solid wasn’t the kind to get close to people - sure, he had friends, but he didn’t feel about them the way he did about his twin. Like he could sit with them forever and never get bored of them.

Since the incident David had been trying desperately to think of what to say. They were going to have to talk about it at some point. Would the other keep saying he didn’t mean it, or would he admit that he did? And what would he say to that? ‘I don’t want you, you’ve got the wrong idea, I’m sorry’. That’s what he _should_ say. Was that the truth, though? The way he kept thinking about Liquid was less-than-brotherly. All those times he had wanted to reach out and touch his perfect body; and hear that sound he had made when he’d pinned him down after their fight. Hell, he’d even fantasized about kissing him while he was masturbating, but when the fantasy came true he had freaked the fuck out.

Why? Maybe because he never thought it possible that Eli was attracted to him too. That was the long and short of it all: Eli was attracted to him, and he was to Eli. There’s only so many times you can look at someone and think ‘I’d love to touch you with my dick’ before you stopped denying that you wanted them. And Solid’s denial was strong – the moral outrage of it all had made it that way. Now that the issue had been brought front and centre he was forced to address it.

_So what now then? How do I explain this to him? I should wait for him to explain himself first, but he’ll probably just get angry. I’m better with words…but I can’t find the right ones. Not even to explain it to myself. The way he’d really understand is if I kiss him too._

_And then what? We can never let anybody know or it’d ruin us. Pretty sure incest is illegal. Fuck it sounds even grosser when I say it like that. Even if it’s not, it’s still the biggest taboo there is._ The hurried introspection was interrupted by one of the cadets laughing in their sleep. _It’s not funny, Goose!_ David decided a walk would help him sort through this better.

The air bit at the bare skin of his hands and face, fogging his breath in plumes. The simple jeans, shirt and puffy jacket didn’t help stay the cold. Around the perimeter of the base (and in some places inside) grew a forest of tall pine trees, shedding prickly needles onto the snow. Those needles got everywhere; in your hair and clothes and bed. So did the snow. It was light out, but he was the only one up in the Cadet Quarter. It was a Saturday after all.

Ten minutes of milling about later and he didn’t feel any more enlightened. He still didn’t know what he was even going to do when he saw Liquid again.

“Taking a morning stroll, kid?” David jumped out of his skin, narrowly avoiding squealing like a girl. “Woah, did I getcha? Sorry.” Master Miller was sitting on the steps outside the gym, smoking his fourth cigarette of the day. “Do you want one? I won’t tell if you won’t. Besides, you look like you could use it.” He offered the packed to his protégé. _Thank God for you, Master._ He took one wordlessly and let Miller light it.

“Thanks.” he managed after a painfully long drag.

“Your brother’s been asking after you, yaknow.” _Oh I bet he has._

“Has he?”

“Yeah…Do you get along well then? He’s quite the character, isn’t he?” _No kidding. That’s a nice way of putting it._

“Yeah we get along. He’s just…” _Misunderstood?_ “Complicated.” Miller barked with laughter.

“You’re telling me! He’s been given a place near Boss for the time being, if you wanna see him. Staff quarters, but it keeps him out of the way. And close to your father.” Good.  _It would be better if we talked about this somewhere private._

“Whereabouts is it? I might go see him. If that’s ok.”

“Why wouldn’t it be? Let me drive you, kid. I’m heading that way anyway.”

“No, it’s ok -”

“You’re gonna walk four miles in the freezing cold to the other end of base? C’mon, I’m parked right over there.” He'd walked further in worse during his training, but he wasn't about to bring it up now. 

Miller didn’t live on base, or in the nearby town. His place was close enough to drive there every day, but exactly where it was no one knew. Out in the sticks, obviously. The car in question was a muddy two door Jeep Wrangler with chained tires. Solid opened the passenger door and got in. From the back seats came a low grumble, then a piercing bark. “Shut up, DD.” Miller settled behind the wheel. Twisting his neck, the brunette could see a very large grey dog lying behind them, watching him with curiosity in his one yellow eye.

“I didn’t know you had a dog, Master Miller.”

“Yeah. He’s a little old, but still at the top of his game. Right DD?” The fluffy dog barked back. It looked more like a wolf that a dog really, it was so big! Losing interest in the familiar stranger the canine lay his head on his paws and went back to sleep.

It took roughly ten minutes for them to drive to Liquid’s accommodation. Staff quarters were modest. Each individual house stood detached, spaced far away from any others. Luxury if you didn’t like nosey neighbours.

“Thanks again, Master!” David called back into the Jeep.

“No problem kid. Say goodbye, DD.” The dog barked again and Solid shut the door.

The place was a single-storey wooden cabin. Towering fir trees grew all around here, making it seem as though he were in a shady forest. Inside the curtains were drawn. _Okay. O-K. Think of what to say before you go in…Think…Something to say…_ All the while he was walking toward the dark wooden stairs. _Think thinkthink!_ Now he was at the door. _I can’t think!_ He knocked timidly. _Useless brain._

Just as he was about to knock again, Eli opened the door. He was dressed in a plain white tee and FOXHOUND issue olive drab trousers. _Holy shit, he’s fucking wearing a shirt._ He looked just as frightened as David felt.

“Can I come in?” Shit, he sounded scared. The blonde nodded and stepped back from the door. He let himself in for a few paces, stopping unsurely in the middle of the room. Inside was a living room and kitchenette. A bathroom and bedroom were in the other two rooms. They stood in tense silence for an agonising minute. “…So should I talk first or…”

“Yeah ok.” Liquid’s voice was so quiet he had to strain to hear it.

“Ok…uhm…I guess…why did you do it?” _Dive right the fuck into it._

“I dunno. I just – did.” Helpful.

“Do you like me?” Eli didn’t answer, instead making eye contact with him for the first time since he got in. He looked panicked. What was his answer then? Like David he had spent the entire time thinking of what he would say. Now that it had come to it the words had left him too. “Liquid?” the blonde shrugged his shoulders warily, curling his toes in the carpet. “Is that a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’?”

“…Can we just pretend like it didn’t happen?”

“No.” It wasn't possible. Why had he even bothered asking?

“Then I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?! What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Eli went back to frowning at his feet. _We’re not getting anywhere._ Where would they get to? Either they would keep it awkward like this for the rest of their lives, or… Taking a step forward he continued. "Are you gonna answer me?" Liquid bristled and shoved him away.

"No, I -"

"No?" The air crackled with electricity. David shoved him back. As Eli was raising his head to glare at him he felt a bolt go through him.

"What do you want from me?" _You._ Rocking forward he crushed their lips together, hands snaking around the other's waist. 

At first neither of them moved. As though his mind were coming back online, Eli pressed back with a groan and wrapped his arms about his neck. _He’s kissing me back. I can’t believe it – he does want this!_ Their arms tightened around each other and the mouthing grew more insistent. The blonde whined high in his throat and it triggered a change. Solid lapped his tongue out over his twin’s lips before forcing it into his mouth. Liquid made another noise and pushed back with his own. _Yesyesyes._ His hands were under the white shirt, desperate to feel him. _He’s letting me touch him! He’s touching me back, its so amazing, ican’tbelieve -_

They broke away to suck in a breath, then began again. The shirt went over Eli’s head, and his own soon followed suit. Their pawing grew frantic. In a feverish haze Eli started to walk them across the room clumsily. His hand waved blindly behind Solid, searching for the door knob. After a lot of manipulating he found it and they tumbled through, onto his bed. _The bedroom. Oh my God, I can’t believe this is really happening!_ He was so excited it was a wonder he hadn’t cum already.

He swapped them over so that he was on top. _You look good underneath me._ Eli was fiddling with his belt impatiently.

“C’mon already!”

“Should I just do it?”

“Fine.” While the brunette was busy taking his boots and trousers off his brother took the opportunity to run his hands along the bared chest roughly. Now dressed in just his underwear he started stripping the other off too.

“ _God_ , your body is smoking hot!” That made Liquid chuckle.

“Yours too. I’ve wanted it for so long, I can’t wait any longer!” _I want you too._ When they got down to just their underwear Solid hesitated. _This is happening. Really, for real._ Eli sensed he should take the lead and pushed his own boxers down. _He’s hard too. That makes this a little less embarrassing._ The blonde lay still under the inspection. “What do you think?” he mumbled.

“Beautiful.” They kissed again. Eli tugged at his clone’s underwear questioningly and suddenly they were both naked. There was a moment where they waited for the other to make the first move. David trailed his fingers over Liquid’s erection teasingly. Liquid sucked his breath in sharply. He took the member in his hand and started to pump it slowly, making the other whimper.

“Shit…” Eli writhed underneath him.

“Do you like that?” he whispered. _I know I do._

“ _Yes_.” They were both completely hard now. Removing his hand he lowered his body until they were flat against one another. He could feel Eli’s shaft throbbing along his. The blonde shifted his legs to wrap around his twin. Rolling his hips, David rubbed their cocks together between their bodies.

“ _Fuck_ -”

“- Ah!” He repeated the action again and again, grinding into him slowly. Eli’s hands travelled down to his ass and squeezed it tight, pushing him closer. “Go faster, David!” He happily obliged. Their panting and moaning blended perfectly, just as they did. “Ahh! Yeah, just like that! _Oohhh God_ , don’t stop!” _Not if my life depended on it._ The sweat and precome made them glide over each other smoothly. “Faster, go faster – fuck you feel so good!” Solid tangled one hand in the golden hair and used the other to grip at his twin’s hip bruisingly. He had never felt pleasure like this before – he was already addicted.

“You’re gonna make me cum!” he grunted. Eli bit down on his shoulder fiercely, growling like an animal. The hips that had been canting in time now thrust chaotically as they reached their climax. Liquid’s nails dragged stinging red lines over his ass.

They came more or less at the same time, each of them yelling and groaning and twitching. His clone had cried out his name blissfully. Once their orgasms where completely ridden out he rolled off onto his side. It hadn’t been like the one he’d experienced in Iraq – or anywhere else for that matter. This was definitely better. Both of them were sweating and gasping raggedly, the evidence of their tryst smeared along their stomachs.

“…So,” Eli began after their breathing had returned to normal, “what now?” _Good question._

“I dunno. I guess…we’ll just have to make it up as we go along.”

“I’m glad you changed your mind.” David smiled.

“Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't be afraid to comment - we're all sinners here >:3


	9. The Teeth

They lay together on the crumpled sheets quietly. David was on his side with his hand on Eli’s sticky belly. When the brunette had started touching him he felt like he had wondered into a dream better than any he had had before. Then they had undressed and he’d looked down at him so hungrily…he wondered why David had run away on the ship if he had wanted him too. He felt like the weight of the world had been lifted from him, leaving him floating. There was no paralyzing guilt after his orgasm, just a warm sleepiness.

If you’d asked him a fortnight ago if he would ever have sex with a guy he probably would have slit your throat. Probably still would, but the answer would be yes. Solid leaned in and started pressing kisses on his neck lightly. His mouth stopped over the space between his neck and shoulder. As Liquid was about to say ‘that’s nice’ the other dug his teeth in and sucked the skin harshly. Eli hissed in surprise, but didn’t tell him to stop.

“That’s for biting me earlier. I think it’s bleeding!”

“Don’t be a wuss. You can bite _me_ all you like.” David rolled his eyes and went back to kissing him.

“How am I gonna explain the bite? We all shower together here yaknow.”

“Bandage it up or something. Say you got it on the mission.” Then he got a funny idea. “Tell them you got bitten by a snake!”

“Clever.” He muttered sardonically. “Is there any antivenin?” _Yeah, my dick. You have to suck it!_ Perhaps it was still a bit too soon to say that. Suddenly his drowsiness was gone, replaced by a burning in his pelvis. The image of David wrapping his lips around him feel wide awake _._

 _Now I really want it. I can’t just ask him to do it out of nowhere. Maybe if I offer him first, he might return the favour!...But I don’t know how to do it. (How hard can it be? Put it in your mouth and suck) There’s more to it than that – the guard at that outpost was doing all sorts with his hands and his head. If I don’t do it right I’ll die of embarrassment!...That is really distracting!_ Solid was still working away at him.

 _Does_ he _even know how to do it? Has he ever been with anyone like this before?_ It made Liquid sick to try and fathom it, so he decided a distraction was in order _. I won’t just jump right in. First I’ll get him fired up, so he doesn’t notice that I don’t have a clue what I’m doing._ Eli tilted his head to return the kisses along his shoulder. _Alright, now he just needs to lie down…_ His attempt to manoeuvre David onto his back was foiled when the other planted himself firmly, hovering over him.

 _No! It won’t be ‘easing into it’ if I have to shove him! Wait, he’s moving a bit._ The brunette had settled back onto his side. _Good, now I just have to…_ Liquid turned to prop himself over the other, reversing their previous positions. _There, was that so hard?_ _Ok, now lie still._ I’ll _do all the work._ Solid wasn’t happy when Eli tore his bronze skin away from his lips. He got halfway down his chest before he felt him tugging his arm to shuffle back up.

 _Shit he’s not into it._ From the corner of his eye he could see David’s nipple and got an idea. Just as he was about to act on it he thought _What if he’s not into this either? He might think it’s weird._ Looking up for some feedback he saw that the other was watching him intently with pale blue eyes. Maintaining eye contact Eli laved his tongue over the nipple slowly. David bit his lip, bringing a hand up to stroke his sunny hair. _So he does enjoy it then. Good._ Latching on with his lips he licked and suckled on it until it was hard, then moved on to the next.

“Do you like it?” he queried as he swapped sides. The brunette nodded and swallowed thickly.

“Yeah.” Liquid was nervous to carry on down into uncharted territory, but he warned himself not to pussy out. Not now the decision had been made. So, unfastening himself from Solid’s chest, he continued with his little quest. He went gradually, licking and biting (gently this time) and kissing lower, earning breathy moans from above.

When he got past the navel and hit the happy trail he knew it was the point of no return. Looking back up a second time his twin was still staring at him, pupils large and pulse working overtime. All too soon he was face to face with David’s already half-hard dick. _Ok, what now? I probably should have had a plan of attack_ before _I got started..._ Tentatively he pressed a kiss onto it, watching his clone’s reaction for any sign of aversion. The fingers brushing the hair away from his face told him there was none. “You’ve gone red!” Solid commented, dissolving a lot of Eli’s already shaky confidence. Catching the withering look on his face, he quickly added “You don’t have to do this, yaknow. I won’t mind if we stop, really.”

“No, I _want_ to do it.” _Don’t pussy out._ _I want to make you feel good too. I just don’t know how…_ Just to prove how willing he was he slid his lips carefully over the tip. Like with the nipples, he lapped his tongue over it repeatedly. David made a strange noise. Liquid pulled his face away, afraid he’d done something wrong.

“No, it feels good.” Apparently his brother could read him like a book. He carried on. _I need to go further. I think I’ll choke if I take it all, though._ Bit by bit he sank his head lower over the cock, pursing his lips to pull the foreskin with them. “A-actually…” _Shit._ “Is it ok if you don’t use your teeth? It’s scraping a little…”

“Oh, sorry.” _Great, already making mistakes. SHIT!_ _Guess I’ll just unhinge my jaw then - you’re too thick not to!_ Obediently he opened up wider. Since he still had to create some friction he finally began to suck, cheeks hollowing out with a wet slurp. _Uh oh, that didn’t sound erotic at all._ Solid disagreed.

By now it was completely erect, making it even more daunting. But, determined to succeed with flying colours, he tried again to engulf the phallus. He managed to take in two whole inches before he felt the urge to gag. _That’s nothing! Not even half way! Is it even a quarter of the way?_ Automatically David started to push his hips forward and back, trying to get more friction from his mouth. A light went on in Eli’s head when he remembered what he had seen of someone performing fellatio.

 _OMG THAT’S WHY HE WAS MOVING HIS HEAD LIKE THAT! That makes so much sense, actually – like jerking off but with lips._ Taking the unconscious hint, he began pulling away, only to plunge back down again. _What else…He was using his hands at the same time…because it was too big? Why didn’t I think of that before?_ Shifting, he wrapped his fist around the rest of the formidable shaft and stroked it in time with his bobbing.

The brunette made yet another odd sound, his eyes fluttering shut. Eli watched him keenly. _Ok, back on track. God, I love when you make noises like that! This is kinda sexy._ His own budding hard-on was jabbing into the mattress. To stop him from thrusting in too far the unused hand clamped down on a hip. All the sighing and grunting was reaching a crescendo.

“E-Eli, I’m really close!” _Fuuuuuuck say my name again!_ “Seriously, I can’t hold it!” a stream of precome spat onto Liquid’s tongue as the other tried to delay his ejaculation. “D-don’t or I’ll cum in your mou- ah – ah – aaahhhh!” Unable to prevent it any longer David came, hands fisting on the bedsheets and in his twin’s golden locks. Far too absorbed in the activity, Eli hadn’t been able to comprehend that with orgasms also come semen – lots of it. He had been deaf to his warnings and now Solid had blown his entire load into his mouth. “Sorry…I did try and say…”

 _Oh God what do I do with it will he think it’s gross if I spit it on him will it ruin the mood if I run to the bathroom –_ He checked his brother’s face for a clue, but he was just looking at him expectantly. Not very helpful. Panicking, he acted reflexively – and swallowed. _Shit he’s definitely disgusted._ “…Did you just swallow it?”

 _Yes_ “Maybe.” Instead of freaking out as expected David laughed.

“That’s really hot. How do I taste?” the brunette asked sultrily. _I think_ I _just came._

“Delicious.” He mimicked. Solid wiggled a beckoning finger and he crawled back up to him. Their lips met again and Eli let him taste for himself.

~

Ten minutes later and Solid still hadn’t offered to suck him off too. He didn’t want to ask for it, he was much too proud. But he could give massive hints. Apparently though kissing all over his face and pressing into him wasn’t clear enough and the brunette actually _fell asleep_. Sure, it was only for thirty seconds or so before he woke back up, but it was the principle. As Liquid could feel a sulk coming on David gave him a bright, disarming smile.

“Thank you for doing that, Eli. You didn’t have to, and I really enjoyed it.” The blonde could sense some hesitation. “I know we haven’t really known each other that long…even though it feels like a long time…I just thought I should tell you that you make me feel…happy. I like to spend time with you, even if you make me a bit mad sometimes. You make me smile. I – like you.” Eli felt like he had just been defibrillated. Thank God his face was obscured in the crook of his neck. _I feel the same way._ Suddenly he didn’t want to get blown anymore. Knowing that _he_ had made the brunette happy, knowing that _he_ had given him pleasure was reward enough. _That’s probably the only unselfish thing about me. David, what did I do to deserve you?_

“I like you too.” His grin translated into his voice. The unease that the dream in Iraq had given him dissipated. _He likes me too. He just said it. We had sex today (shit I actually had sex) and I loved it. I want this. I want_ him _. And he wants me too. I feel like this is a dream, and I’m gonna wake up all alone again._

“How did it go with Boss? You did see him, right?” _Aaaaaaaaand the moment’s over._ Eli shrugged.

“Could’ve been worse.”

“What did he say? I mean, you don’t _have_ to tell me.”

“He just kinda said…he was glad I was back. He wants me to enrol here in FOXHOUND.”

“Is that what _you_ want?”

“I guess so. I couldn’t ask for better training – V’ll end up teaching us, I’m sure.”

“Both of us?” _Sometimes I don’t think you realise you’re a snake. I suppose you’re still getting used to the concept._

“Yeah. And I’ll get to see you every day.”

“We won’t be able to do this.” he gestured at their tangled bodies. “Nowhere is private in Cadet Quarter. We’ll have to sneak off when we want…each other.” _I never don’t want you._

“I can’t just see you at the weekend, I’ll miss you!” _Tone down the desperate mate._

“I’ll miss you too.” _Never mind._ “I’m sure we’ll figure something out.” For now they just lay there, content. They still had the rest of the weekend together. Both of them were sure it would be a good one.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even though it's not penetrative frotting is technically sex.


	10. The Movies

At noon they finally untangled themselves to wash up and get dressed. David was pleased that the blonde forewent the shirt this time.

“What’s it like living in a proper house again?” he asked as he was re-buckling his belt.

“Weird. I took a bath for the first time in yonks.” _I bet you look great when you’re soapy. We should take a bath together some time (although we won’t fit in the tub)._ “I think the best thing is the TV.”

“When was the last time you watched TV?”

“’Bout eight years ago. It doesn’t have any channels though. The only video V had was my old Muppet Show one, so I’ve been watching that.” _Eight years?! That’s inhumane. I should rent him some new ones from the library or something – we could marathon all the good ones he’s missed._

“What kind of films do you like?”

“I haven’t really seen that many. I was only allowed kids films on Mother Base.”

“What about classics like…I dunno, Jaws or Star Wars?”

“I’ve heard of it.” _I’m boutta disown you._ The shock must have been evident on his face because Eli added “What? Is it good?”

“Is it _good?_ I’m going in to town.” He went to put on his boots.

“What? Don’t go!”

“I’m just going to rent you some movies. Trust me, it’ll blow your fucking mind! There’s so much we can watch, it’ll be great!” Before Liquid could complain he was out the door.

FOXHOUND shuttles ran to and from town each hour on weekends. They were usually packed with recruits wanting to get out and entertain themselves in the small rural settlement. The curfew for Cadet Quarter was midnight on Sunday. No one missed it; even rowdy adolescents knew better than to piss off a guy like Hell Master Miller. If Solid jogged he could swing by his bunk for his wallet and get to the stop for the 1 o’clock journey.

There was no one in Dormitory 2 when he ran in, lungs burning from the cold. The room consisted of fifteen bunkbeds and thirty lockers for the few possessions any cadets might have. Someone had scribbled ‘Solid trouser Snake’ on the front of his locker in a marker that didn’t rub off no matter how much he scrubbed it. That wasn’t the only incident of frivolous graffiti attacks. Once he had found ‘Solid *hearts* Miller’ doodled on his ballistics folder in equally permanent marker, with an arrow through the heart.  He wanted to crawl into a hole and die when Miller saw it.

By now it was visual white-noise, so he got to his wallet without any distraction.

~

The trip to town was uneventful. He got on board after flashing his FOXHOUND ID and crammed in with some other late-goers at the back. Thankfully none of them tried to talk to him, but he did catch their attention. He was very popular with the girls at FOXHOUND, and there was always a group giggling whenever he happened to pass by.

It put a lot of pressure on him to act as straight as possible – recruits dating was frowned upon but not against the rules, so everyone kinda expected him to get a girlfriend. After all, he could have anyone he wanted. The problem was he didn’t want any of them. It was 1992 so homosexuality wasn’t the crime it had been in previous years, but to be openly gay in a military setting was social suicide. And career suicide: being openly gay in the U.S military got you discharged. So he played along with the boisterous guys when they pestered him about how good titties and vaginas were enough to keep them off his back. Not that the female body grossed him out, he just wasn’t that bothered. Not in the way he was about Eli.

The icy community was used to FOXHOUND soldiers breezing around. Of course the exact nature of the base wasn’t public knowledge. All the locals knew was that it was a military training camp. The Big Boss part was omitted from any stories. Rather than borrow the videos from the stuffy old library David decided to buy them from the bric-a-brac second hand shop at the town centre. That way he wouldn’t have to worry about returning them or having to get a membership.

The interior of the store stank of mould and cigarettes. It wasn’t pleasant, but it made Solid want a smoke anyway. Cigarettes were contraband at FOXHOUND so he had to do what he did best and sneak off in order to have one. He hid his under a loose floorboard at the very back of the unused and ancient equipment shed a minute’s walk from the gym. No one ever went there (or even knew how to get in – it was padlocked, but there was a way in from the loose corrugated roof it you were a good climber) so it was perfect. He also had a full bottle of whiskey and some chocolate bars too. But that wasn’t all.

The mental checklist for his little stash reached an interesting entry as he was paying for the giant stack of videos. He had a gay porno he had liberated from a creepy warden at his old orphanage when he was rummaging through their stuff looking for his confiscated comics. It had been the most unassuming tape with the label only showing an ‘X’, but for whatever reason he felt he should take it. He got the surprise of his fifteen year old life when he got around to playing it, luckily in private.

Although it was probably the greatest find of his life he had only ever watched it once. The dilapidated television at the orphanage was only wheeled out on Sundays to play hymns and it was blind luck that he had managed to get it alone to play the tape at all. When he moved away to join FOXHOUND he couldn’t bear to leave it behind. One day he might have a TV of his own. There was no way he was going to be caught with it in his locker, so into the contraband pile it had gone.

What if he brought it to Eli so they could watch it together? Would he like it? The thought of touching him while it was running in the background was so appetising that he had to hide his boner with the plastic bag walking back to the bus stop. _That’d be so rad…It might give us more ideas too. Is it too soon to do something like that? I’ll bring it anyway and ask if he wants to watch it tomorrow._

~

The hallowed porno was still exactly where he had left it under a pile of Mars bars. He felt so rebellious stuffing it into the bag along with a few of the chocolate bars and newly bought cigarettes. _I can’t really remember what was on it. They did all sorts…they jerked each other off and gave each other blowjobs, that I remember. One of them stuck his fingers up the other guy’s ass too. Is that normal? Or is this tape like a fetish thing? Anal is supposed to be a thing dude’s do with each other…at least people say that’s what they do. They did that on the tape too. Would Eli ever let me do that to him? Probably not._ He was beginning to get hot under his jacket.

_I’m almost back at his place now anyway. I can touch him when I get in, then we can watch some films. The porno will wait until tomorrow._

When he got back through the door Liquid was reclined on the plain sofa watching the Muppet Show.

“…most sensational, inspirational, muppe – fuck I messed it up!” his annoyance turned into joy when he noticed the brunette. “What did you get? Anything good?” _Don’t just jump him. Let it happen naturally. Miss Piggy isn’t exactly the biggest turn on though, I’ll have to put a movie on then make a move. Not one he has to pay much attention to._

“Tons. I got them from a thrift store in town, so they’re yours now. Let’s start with something easy – we have the whole weekend to do this.” _A weekend of me making you jizz your brains out. I’ll be so mind-blowing that you won’t be able to think about anything else, ever!_ That was the plan, anyway. He had little more experience than his twin did in the sexual department; which is to say none. Regardless, the daydreaming about all the things they could do together had him even more determined to make the other want him unconditionally.

Now that he could finally explore his sexuality he was excited. The repressed horny teenage boy was bubbling back to the surface again. “Ok, we’ll start with Ghostbusters. It’s not scary, but I do have a few horrors for you. I get the feeling you’d be a fan.”

“Cool. What’s it about then?” _I dunno genius, maybe ghostbusters? Shit he probably doesn’t know what that is._

“People who fight ghosts.”

“How do you fight a ghost? That’s stupid.”

“Just wait and see.” He knelt in front of the VCR and swapped the tapes, joining the blonde on the sofa with the remote.

~

When they got to the scene with the trans-dimensional fridge David though it a good time to start having some fun. They were already sitting quite close, so he only needed to lean in a bit to start kissing Eli’s neck. The blonde sighed and tilted his head to give him more access.

“How did they do that bit with the eggs? They must have used tiny little explosives or something.” _Nice to know you’re in the mood._

“I don’t know.” he mumbled into his shoulder. Liquid was still shirtless, so he began tracing his fingers over the skin lightly.

“Do they even make explosives that small?” _Are you doing this on purpose?_

“Dunno.”

Eventually Eli started to react to him, gasping and breathing hard.

“…Should we pause the film?”

“No, just lie back and enjoy it.” He did as he was told, shifting to lie on his back with his head propped on the armrest still watching the TV. _You’re not as difficult as I thought you’d be._ Straddling his thighs Solid continued to kiss along his collarbone, unfastening the blonde’s jeans with zero resistance. After some tugging he had his cock out in the open. The stage was set. Still latched onto his throat with his mouth be began to languidly jerk him off.

 _I don’t know anything about what you like…Well, almost. I know you like to bite. It still hurts._ “Where else do you like to touch yourself?” he whispered.

“What do you mean?” His voice was already trembling. 

“When you masturbate, what do you do?”

“Uh…I just do this.” He nodded to where David was stroking him. _Obviously, but what else?_

“Can you show me?”

“N-now?”

“Yeah. Show me.” He removed his hand but didn’t move his body away. Sheepishly Eli raised his own hand to replace Solid’s and started pumping. He was turning red again. “Is that all?”

“I don’t know what you want me to say.” Liquid admitted quietly.

“Well, what do you do with your free hand? Do you touch your balls or your chest or anything?” The blonde whimpered and cleared his throat to try and mask it.

“No. I-I don’t really do this that often…”

David was never going to get the answers he was hoping for. Since Eli never masturbated recreationally he never spent any time exploring himself beyond getting off as fast and simply as possible. So he didn’t have any idea what he liked either.

“So you don’t do _anything_ but this? Ok then…just keep doing what you’re doing.”

“What are you gonna do? Just watch?” He seemed disappointed.

“No, I’ll help. Take your pants off.” The brunette got off him for a moment to let him undress. Instead sitting on his lap again he pressed his hands on his knees gently, asking him to part them. Eli looked a little anxious, but he did it anyway. He sat himself between them. “Keep going.” he urged when the other froze to watch him. As he continued pleasuring himself, David ran his hands down the tops of his thighs softly, stopping at the hips. Then he did the same on the inside of his thighs. “Tell me if something feels good, ok? Or if it doesn’t.”

“Okay.” On another stroke up his legs he kept on, sliding over his toned stomach and chest. Using the pads of his thumbs he brushed over the nipples. The gasp it earnt him said that he liked it. He got an even better noise when he leaned in to lick them, like the blonde had done earlier. “Ah…that’s good, I like that.” _Good._

Now that one of his hands had been freed up he used it to reach down and cup Eli’s testicles. “Ahhh…” Very lightly (you could never be too careful there) Solid started to pull the sack downwards in time with his brother’s fist. “Ohhhh shit, I’m nearly there!” _Already? I suppose you’re not used to being touched all over though._ By now the hand on his cock was going so fast it was blurring. David felt the balls pull up tight and Eli groaned, body arching and tensing as he came.

Thankfully none of it got on his shirt, but a glob did land under his chin as he was licking his chest. He scraped it off with his finger. Eli was panting and melting into the sofa, head lolling tiredly. David pressed the finger on his mouth, and the blonde opened up without checking what it was. By the time he realised what Solid was doing he was already sucking the semen off the digit.

“And how do _you_ taste?”

“The same.” He replied past the finger. Then he bit him. Solid snatched it away with an ‘ow!’ and sat back as his twin got up to mop up and re-dress for the second time that day. And what an eventful day it had been. “We’ve missed half the bloody film! I don’t get it, is the lady bad now?”

“Sure.”


	11. Diamond Dog

They fell asleep at one in the morning after finishing _The Shining_. Turns out Liquid _was_ a big fan of horror. During the chestburster scene in _Alien_ he had been laughing in delight (which was rather worrying).

Eli dreamt that he was back in Iraq, in the little den he had shared with his clone. Solid wasn’t with him this time. Above ground was a murky purple twilight.  

“My, my, Eli; what a naughty boy you’ve been!” The menacing snake from a few previous dreams of his came slithering down into the hole, bringing a bone deep cold with it. “ _Tsk tsk_. That’s a sin you know. I suppose bad blood runs in the family.” The serpent made a noise halfway between chuckling and sobbing. “Why did you do this, baby?” It started to wrap its way around his torso, but Liquid couldn’t move away. “Why? My sweet, sweet baby, you’re so much like your _father_ -”

The shrill sound of the phone ringing woke them back up at eight. Sluggishly the blonde rolled off the sofa they were both lying on and plodded over to where the irritating device was installed on the wall.

“Hello?”

“Eli, it’s me.” For a moment he thought he was still in the dream. But no, it was only Venom. “You just get up?”

“No, I’ve been up for hours.”

“…You okay there all by yourself?” _Why, you gonna come hold my hand if I’m not?_

“David’s with me. And I’ve been that way for the last eight years, I’m sure one night won’t kill me.”

“Ok, ok! Is your brother alright?” _He was until you woke us up._

“Yeah, sure.”

“Yes as in ‘yes’, or yes as in ‘I don’t know but get off my back’?”

“Bit of both. What did you want to talk about?”

“Just checking in. By the way, Kaz brought someone over to see you yesterday but he said it should wait until tomorrow for some reason.” _A visitor? Great, that’s just what I’ve always wanted: more people to annoy me._

“Who is it? I swear to God, if it’s someone I hate -”

“No, you love this one.” _What, is he bringing me a mirror?_ He snorted at his own joke. “I’ll get him to come over later. I gotta go kid, I’ll talk to you later.”

“Ok, bye.” _Someone I love? Who the fuck is he talking about?_ The list wasn’t exactly a long one. The list of people he hated was miles long, though. “Do you want breakfast?” he called over to his twin, crossing to the kitchenette. “I don’t have much in, but I was given some stuff to keep me alive in here. We have bread, milk, some fruit...uh, some ready meals…a box of ‘pop-tarts’ – never even heard of ‘em. The chocolate you brought over we already ate. It’s all shit. I’ve asked for some tea bags and marmite too.”

“Put the pop-tarts in, they’re nice.”

“In what? I dunno what they are!” Solid sighed and got up to help him. He opened the packet and dropped them in the toaster mockingly, as if he were demonstrating to a chimp.

“I’ll bite you again.” David laughed and went back to the settee. “Are we watching another film? They are quite cool, actually. Are there any more scary ones?” _I like those ones._ The brunette’s demeanour shifted subtly.

“Yeah, I think so.” _Sounds good_. Solid was pulling at his lip, which Eli had come to realise meant he had something on his mind. _What’s up?_ “A-actually I have something else for us to watch too. If you want to.” _Why so shifty all of a sudden?_

“Yes okay.”

“It, uh, is a bit _different_ to the ones we’ve seen so far…” _Alright. What is it?_

“Different how?” _Fucken’ spit it out!_

“Well…it’s a porno.” Quite a few thoughts went through Liquid’s head then. _OK WHAT? (Did he buy it in town?) He wants us to watch porn together (_ Am _I still dreaming?)._

“Uh…where did you get it?”

“I have my methods.” _What are they then, dummy?_ At that moment the toaster sprang the pop-tarts up. Neither of them moved to get them. “So…do you think you’d want to watch it?” the brunette was looking at him searchingly. _How do I know? I’ve never seen one before. You obviously have._

“Sure...” He turned to get their breakfast from the toaster. _Are there girls in it? I don’t really want to see some rando spread herself on camera if I’m honest. Not after I’ve just eaten._ The pop-tarts burnt his hand, but he pretended it didn’t happen so his brother wouldn’t laugh. _Did you get it specifically for me to watch?_ “Let’s eat these first. What are they, frosting and bread?”

~

After finishing the diabetes-inducing meal and going to the bathroom to pee they sat down to watch tape ‘X’. They were both nervous. _What if I don’t like it? He’ll be real disappointed._

“It’s already been rewound.” David informed him as he was setting it up. _Oh goodie._ The twins sat close to each other. It started to play.

The scene started with two guys lounging on a bed like girls at a sleepover, talking about how stressed they were over their respective jobs. They had to be in their mid – late twenties, mediocre looks. They were lean, but neither of them were as sculpted as the snakes. _The acting is the single most cringe worthy thing I have ever seen. I didn’t think it was possible to die of second-hand embarrassment, but I’m going to._

“The acting is shit.” he commented.

“Why do you think they couldn’t get a better gig?” _Fair enough._ For some reason he must have missed the men started making out sloppily. _Ok then, not really gonna help with the schematic you have to show your boss next week is it?_ As the face gnawing continued one of them rubbed the other’s crotch through his tracksuit bottoms. The crotch rubber then moved down to pull the completely hard dick from the bottoms and suck it. Or slurp at it anyway. Now Eli could feel the knot of arousal churning in his gut, slowly rising in intensity. _It’s not much like the way I did it. Was I doing it wrong?_

When the porn stars swapped sucking duties David put his hand high on the blonde’s thigh. A stab of excitement zipped through him. _What are you planning?_ “Are you liking it so far?” the brunette broke the silence.

“Yeah. It’s…yeah.” _Apparently I’ve been doing everything incorrectly – even wanking._ One of the stars got on his hands and knees and gave the camera a graphic view of his behind. _Holy shit, that’s a bit much isn’t it? Not too sure where this is going…_ The other guy was pulling apart the cheeks to give the viewers an even better look at what was already very visible. Then he stuck his finger _into his ass_. Eli must have jumped, because his brother squeezed his thigh. He was aware of his clone observing his reactions closely.

The guy getting fingered was making a whining sound that spiked the arousal Liquid was feeling _. Is it that good?_ David squeezed his leg again. Even though it seemed a bit stilted and rehearsed all the dirty talk the stars were exchanging was making him hotter.

This time Solid had moved his palm between his legs to squeeze at his obvious erection. Eli squirmed and finally looked at the other. The blue-eyed snake was watching him lustily, biting his bottom lip. _I need to take my clothes off._ Just as their lips met there was a loud knock at the door.

“Eli? You home?” It was Kaz. _SHIT._ David dove toward the VCR at record speed and ejected the video.

“Yeah, just a sec!” he called back. _What am I gonna do about the boner_? “It’s really messy, let me clean up first!” Liquid ran to the bathroom to run himself under the cold tap.

“What? Since when do you care? C’mon Els, it’s freezing out here. I’ve got someone to see you, kiddo.” _Oh perfect!_

“Who is it?” By the sound of it his twin had had the same idea with the kitchen sink.  

“Just come and see.” _Fucking worst possible timing! Ok, I’m soft enough now._ Quickly checking that Solid had tucked himself away too on the way to the door he unlocked it for his guests.

“It’s open.” They fell back on the sofa, ‘act natural’ style. Miller came in accompanied by a furry grey animal. _No fucking way-_ “DD?!” At the sound of his voice the wolf launched himself forward, colliding with Eli in a powerful blur of fur.

“Ha! Looks like he still remembers you, kid.” _Will I remember him with the concussion he just gave me, though?_

“I didn’t know you still had him!” DD was licking at his face frantically, pinning him down with his broad paws.

“Yeah. I took him off V’s hands when we transferred over to Alaska. He doesn’t go on many missions nowadays.” The wolf had noticed Solid and pounced on him too in hello, then went back to overpowering Eli.

“Who’s a good boy?” DD’s answering bark pierced his eardrums. “V was right over the phone – I _do_ love this guest!”

“Never doubt your father, Els. You ok David?” Solid started at the greeting. Miller didn’t usually call him by his name.

“Yes thank you, Master.” He was a lot less used to being casual around Kaz, obviously. “Your dog is really nice.”

“He was Venom’s before he was mine. Used to help him out. Your father wants to see you, by the way. No, not right now – on Monday. Don’t think he wants to ruin the brotherly bonding; he’s glad you two get along _.” If only he knew…then he’d have a stroke and a heart attack all at once. Shame he had the horn removed; it would have shot right out of his head!_ “Afraid this is a quick visit, I’ve got work to do. DD, c’mere.” The lobo leapt off the settee and loped over to Kaz. “Later kiddos.”

“Bye DD!” D-Dog barked back.

~

Once the door was shut the twins turned to each other.

“That was close. I nearly broke my neck trying to get that video out!”

“No shit! Thank God the door was locked _.” We would have had a lot of explaining to do. ‘Someone taped over The Muppets with this, we don’t know anything about it! Honest! Why are we hard? Uh…Someone put Viagra in our pop-tarts as well!’_  “D-Dog is cute, huh? V rescued him in Afghanistan when he was a puppy.”

“I like him. Is he a Malamute or something?”

“In Afghanistan? No, he’s a wolf.” Solid looked surprised and impressed all at once.  

“That’s pretty hardcore.”

“Our dad’s a hardcore guy. So is Kaz. ”

“Who?” _Really?_

“Miller. His first name is Kazuhira.” Now he looked really surprised.

“You know each other pretty well, don’t you?” _Is that jealousy I smell on you, brother?_

“Suppose. You’re the best solider he’s ever trained, he told me so himself.” That certainly cheered him up.

“Really?” _If you smile any wider you’ll rip the skin off your face. At least you’re happy now._ They lapsed into a comfortable silence. David started pulling on his bottom lip again. “So…do you want to put the tape back on?” _Yes please._

“I’ll lock the door.”

They resumed their previous position of sitting close together. _Take some initiative this time_. When the porno began where it had left off, Eli slid his hand down the front of his twin’s trousers and underwear. It was a bit of a tight fit with the belt. He rubbed him slowly, coaxing him to get hard. David smirked at him and mirrored his actions, plunging under his bottoms to stroke him.

On screen one of the guys rolled a condom on and knelt behind the other. _Is he gonna –_

The kneeler plunged in quickly, wasting no time in building up a rhythm. _Oh my God I can’t believe I’m watching this_! The rutting men made a lot of noise together. Solid undid his belt, then unbuttoned Liquid’s jeans and pulled him out from under his boxers. Eli did the same.

They started to build up a rhythm of their own. _How on earth is he so good at this! And it’s his non-dominant hand. He has a much better technique than me._ David was deftly twisting his wrist, thumbing the head on each upstroke. The blonde tried to mimic it with less finesse. In the video the guys were still going at it at an incredible pace. The receiver’s ass slapped each time he was brought back to be impaled, and the whining had gotten more desperate.

 _These jeans are too hot._ Both of the clones were panting now, bodies sweating and trembling with pleasure.

“ _Eli_ …” the brunette sighed, increasing the pressure with his hand. _Oh shit…I’m not gonna last much longer (saying my name isn’t helping either). There’s no way I’m finishing before him – but I don’t know how close he is._ As he felt his end approaching he started to writhe, hips fidgeting in an effort to hold it back. _Nonono, just a little bit longer!_ He grunted and clenched trying his hardest to last. David had noticed his struggle and sped up even more. _No!_

Liquid felt his body force the orgasm out of him. He let it happen once it was completely inevitable, the release feeling all the more intense for having held it in. The moan he made gave the porn stars a run for their money. “Fuck _yes_.” Solid groaned as his brother came, coating his fist with the viscous fluid. In his blissful stupor Eli’s hand had stilled over the brunette’s cock, but he started up again as he returned to himself.

David lasted an embarrassing amount of time longer than the blonde. Since he jacked with the goal of getting off ASAP he had unwittingly trained his body to be quick to the finish. The fact that he was experiencing pleasure when he was touched now made it worse. Once they were both satisfied, and had taken a minute or so to cool off, the tape was taken out.

As Eli was cleaning himself up in the bathroom his twin snuck up on him and hugged him from behind.

“Jesus! Stop jumping out on me, it’s not funny.”

“Yeah: it’s hilarious. Did you enjoy that?” his breath tickled on the back of his neck.

“Very much. We should do it again sometime.”

“I’d like that. Ugh, I have to go soon. My uniform needs to be prepared for tomorrow.” _Can’t you miss one day? Or week? Stay here instead._

“When can you come see me again?”

“Next Saturday. I’ll wake up early to come over.” _That’s not soon enough. “_ Gives us something to look forward to. Like Christmas, but each weekend.” _I dunno, I never celebrated it._ David brushed the hair from his nape and gave it a kiss. “I’ll stay till twelve, then I really have to go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a list of cute nicknames Venom and Kaz used to call Liquid by (they're all girly to annoy him):  
> -Els  
> -Ellie belle  
> -Goldilocks  
> -Primadonna  
> -Num nums ya Mpembe  
> -Little Shit (by Ocelot)  
> -Little Boss (by the DD staff)


	12. The Eggshells

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Liquid's a little fucked in the head and Solid is accidentally rapey' - alt title  
> :3

1984 – Mother Base, Seychelles.

The sun was setting on the red horizon. Below the ocean droned and hissed against the thick struts of the platform. Liquid Snake was leaning on the railing, watching the sky impatiently. The thumping of a crutch sounded on the tarmac behind him.

“He’ll be back by tomorrow, kid.”

“But he said we could go _today_. Why isn’t he back?”

“Something came up in the field. It’s not his fault, Els. He would be here if he could.” The child didn’t turn around to look at him. The sunset and the tint of his sunglasses made the boy’s hair look pink. _Don’t pine, kid. It’s not good for you, trust me._ “Why don’t you find something else to do? Go draw him a picture.”

“I’m not five.” _Ok, but I’m pretty sure you drew one for him a few weeks ago. Did you age dramatically since then?_ “It’s been a week since he was back.” _I once had to wait for him for nine years._

“A week of you sulking about like a widow. It’s bad for morale when you do that yaknow.”

“I had a dream last night…a strange one.” _There’s no way I’m having this talk with you – that’s V’s job._ But the monologue thankfully didn’t go in the direction Kazuhira was expecting. “There was a big snake in my room, an actual one, and it was talking to me with dad’s voice. It said…that he was lying to me. It wouldn’t say what about, though.” _Creepy._

“That _is_ weird. It’s just a dream, they’re always odd.”

“I’ve had the snake dream before, too. The day before you found me and brought me here. It was squishing a jackal, saying that my brother was crying on the other side of the world because he thought that no one loved him.” _What the hell kind of thing is that to think up? Obviously the therapy sessions need to be more frequent._ “Why isn’t he here too? My brother, I mean. _I’m_ here.”

“Your brother already has a good life in America, it would be cruel to tear him away…he’s safer that way too.” _Maybe he has a chance at an actual life. Hopefully._

~

1992 – FOXHOUND Primary Facility, Alaska.

Liquid woke up in his small cabin alone. Now he had been at FOXHOUND for two weeks, and was about to spend his third weekend with his twin. Out of all the things they did together the sex was definitely his favourite. Of course, he enjoyed the kissing, hand jobs and that one blowjob Solid had given him; but the frotting was in a different league altogether. Finally it was Saturday again. The days had dragged by like molasses, with nothing for him to do but watch TV, eat and sleep.

 Venom had expressly forbidden him from leaving the house and causing trouble around base. Usually he wouldn’t have given a shit about doing as he was told, but he felt he should make it a little easier for V. For now. Perhaps he was still feeling guilty about leaving (he was).

As he was shifting to get up, he felt his boxers stick to his skin. Sweeping the covers away he discovered that he had had a wet dream in the night. _That’s…unexpected._ _Am I getting sick or something? I can’t even remember what it was._ On top of the worry about his health was the embarrassment over the situation. Eli knew that it was normal for pubescent teenagers to get them (after a mortifying talk with Venom on the subject the first time he had one), but he was supposed to be a grown up! _Is it normal for adults to have them too?_

The subject matter of these dreams were strange at times. Sometimes they would be about torturing and taking someone’s life in colourful ways – gutting them or skinning them, for example. Those he were sure weren’t normal. Sometimes they would be about someone touching him, or letting him touch them. The ‘someone’ in question was always male, which didn’t help his adamant refusal of his sexuality growing up.

On a few disturbing occasions on Mother Base ‘someone’ had been his father. Whenever V had been away on a mission for a long period of time Eli’s subconscious had placed him on his lap, with Venom rubbing him fondly through the fabric of his shorts. He certainly wasn’t a psychologist, but he told himself it was just because his mind was telling him he missed his father and _nothing else_.

_I’ll ask David when he gets here. He’ll probably know what this is._

~

At six in the morning Solid Snake left Dorm 2 to walk to his twin’s accommodation. Like the blonde, he had been waiting for the weekend to roll by again with bated breath. There was no Miller to drive him this time, so he made the journey in the bitter Alaskan cold on foot. It was still dark, and the enveloping pines rustled gloomily under a dusting of snow. A dim wind-up torch lit the way across base.

Eli was already awake when he knocked at 6:45. They pounced on each other immediately and stumbled to the sofa to make out. The kisses became deeper and hotter as the minutes ticked by. So far the day was going brilliantly. As he kneaded Liquid’s ass under his palms the blonde finally spoke.

“Do you get wet dreams a lot?”

“Not sure what ‘a lot’ is. The last time I had one was about two years ago.” _Interesting topic._ “Why? Did you have one last night?” It was hard to talk past their faces being mushed together.

“…Yeah. I-is that normal? To get them at this age?”

“No idea. It’ probably because you don’t jerk off enough.” He got the impression that his twin wasn’t too familiar with the concept, if his performances last weeks were anything to go by.

“Ok. How much is ‘enough’?”

“I do it a few times a week.” The lack of reply was intriguing. “How ‘bout you?”

“Uh…maybe once a month.”

“Once a _month_?!” he pulled back to stare at the other in shock. “That’s insane! Don’t you feel like bursting?” It was obvious that his surprise was making the blonde uncomfortable.

“Should I do it more?” _I don’t think this is the response he was hoping for._ _I didn’t come here to fucking stress him out again, say something nice!_

“No, no! I mean, everyone’s different, right?” Eli didn’t look too convinced, so he ended the conversation by pushing their tongues together. He was lying on top, rubbing against him and massaging his butt over his trousers. Due to the lack of experience their kisses were clumsy, but they were quickly getting the hang of it.

Hopefully this would end in them having some amazing sex. He was very fond of it. In fact he hadn’t thought of much else since their first time. He fantasised about it frequently – it was really distracting him during training. The most prominent fantasy had to be the one of penetrating his clone. Watching the porno had made him realise how much he wanted to be inside him. Even if it was just his finger; the thought of pleasuring Eli via his ass was the most arousing thing to him. But they were only two weeks into their relationship, and he got the feeling Liquid wouldn’t be too comfortable with it.

There had been a power struggle between them the last time they had had sex, and it worried him how it had turned out. All the previous times they had done anything together Solid was on top, but on this occasion the blonde had fought him for the position. He was more than willing to relinquish it, of course; yet he tried to deny him the place as a game.

Each time Liquid had tried to flip their places David had held him down and bit him (he had discovered Eli liked to be bit as much as he liked biting), and their little contest had gotten more and more aggressive as the excitement rose. Wrapped up in the flurry of pleasure he hadn’t noticed that his twin wasn’t enjoying the game anymore, or that he had asked for it to stop. When the blonde had started really struggling he had thought he was still playing and had been equally as rough to subjugate him.

Eli asked him to stop again and he realised with a sickening wrench in his gut that he was being serious. He had got off him immediately and the other had pulled away on the bed to catch his breath, glaring daggers at him. The explanation of ‘I was only joking, I wasn’t really going to hurt you’ hadn’t done the trick of assuaging him.

They had both got dressed after the mood was shattered and watched TV instead. Liquid seemed to of completely forgotten that it had happened just five minutes later, but for the rest of the weekend Solid was walking over eggshells around him.

Now he wasn’t so sure his brother would be too eager to hand him the reigns for a while.

“Are you ok?” Eli brought him back to the present.

“Yeah. Why don’t you take your pants off?” _Be less forceful_. The blonde was happy to oblige anyway and kicked them off with that impish grin of his. _You’re so cute when you’re excited._

“What did you have in mind?” _Perfect opportunity to play with his butt (No he won’t like it)._

“You’ll see…” _Or just do it anyway._ He went back to kissing him and squeezing his now bare cheeks under him. Taking a minute to pluck up his courage, he moved one of his hands into the cleft between and rubbed his finger back and forth along it.

Eli tensed as still as a statue with a very unmanly squeak. The kiss stopped on his end, so Solid dipped his head to mouth at his neck instead. He kept his finger going, hoping the other would warm up to it. So far he didn’t seem that into it. But he hadn’t told him to stop either.

Gradually Liquid started to relax again. The nails digging into the brunette’s shoulders eased back, and the rigid posture melted into the settee with a sigh. _Yes! I think he likes it!_ “Is that good?” he murmured into his ear. His breath made the other shiver.

“…It’s _different_.” _That didn’t sound like a ‘bad different’ to me_. Under his lips the blonde’s pulse was racing. He increased the pressure slightly, aiming more precisely at his target. _This would be easier if we changed positions. What if I got him on his hands and knees?...Nah, he’d be too embarrassed. I wanna see his face as well._ Eli’s hips shuffled for more friction against his finger and grinding groin _. At least he’s enjoying it. Okay, time for the next step._

David pulled away and turned to rummage around in the backpack he had brought with him. Liquid propped himself up on his elbows to watch suspiciously. When a tube of lube was produced the green-eyed snake became very apprehensive indeed. “Um…what are you gonna do with that?” _Wait and see._

“This’ll make it easier.”

“Make _what_ easier?” _Wait and see._ He moved back over him and pulled at his earlobe with his teeth.

“I’m gonna put my finger inside you.” _Please let me do it._ “Ok?” Eli hesitated. _What are you thinking right now?_

“…I don’t really…” _Fuck – he’s going to say no._ “What will it feel like?”

“Good, I promise.” _Guilt trip him (No that’s really shitty!)._ “Don’t you trust me?” _Or just do it anyway._

“Yeah, I do…Ok.” Time for the fantasy to come true.

After spreading a towel under him at Liquid’s request (‘Don’t get my sofa messy or I’ll kill you!’) Solid sat himself between his twin’s legs and bid they be spread further. Eli followed the direction and turned bright red again when he paused to get a good look at him. “Just – get on with it already!”

“What, you’re not _shy_ are ya?”

“Shut up.” David laughed and dipped his head to lick along the clone’s shaft. Judging by his body’s reaction the blonde appreciated the attention. _Get more comfortable, you’re all…taut._ The brunette squirted the lube on his index finger whilst he was lapping at him, trying to make the other more relaxed. He ran his finger blindly to the right spot and Liquid tensed up again. “That’s cold!”

“Relax, you’re too wound up.” With a nervous sigh Eli forced himself to unwind, only to tighten up when the finger pressed at his entrance. “Relax…” This time when he was probed he stayed still. Solid slid in carefully, eyes glued to his brother’s face. The blonde was watching the ceiling wearing a puzzled expression. When the digit was halfway in Eli made a quivering noise high in his throat. “Alright?”

“Uh-huh.” His finger worked its way in up to the knuckle and Eli made the sound again, louder.

“How’s it feel?”

“Uhhm…weird.” Gently he started to wiggle it, feeling around inside him. On every crook Liquid would mewl and writhe.

As he glanced over a particular spot his twin jolted. “Ahh!”

“Shit, did that hurt?” The wiggling ceased in panic.

“No it – do it again.” Experimentally the brunette hooked his finger against the same spot, earning the same reaction. Taking it as a good sign he continued to focus on the area, massaging it slowly. “Ah, oh fuc- _uh_! Yes, like that!” _This is so much hotter than I’d imagined it’d be!_ Eli arched his back into the sensation beautifully.

“Feel good?”

“Yes! Oh _God_ yes!” his voice was piping and airy. Even neglected his cock was swollen; leaking and twitching. David thought he had died and gone to heaven. His own erection was screaming at him to be touched. _Can this get any better? Quick, say something kinky!_

“…” at the last second he was too self-conscious to verbalise his arousal _. He won’t care, look at him! You could say anything and he’d eat that shit right up!_ His brother was sweating and whining and squirming restlessly on the towel. “Do you like that?” _Is that really the best I can do?_

“Yes, yes! Keep going.” _You’re starting to sound like the guy on the porno._

“Tell me how much you like it.” _That’s a bit better._

“Fuck! I-I _ah_ I like it, you feel so _ah_ good! Don’t stop David, please!” Solid bit the tender flesh on the inside of his thigh. “Holy shit! I -” Eli’s sentence was interrupted by his orgasm ripping through him, blinding him and leaving him senseless. The brunette took in the rapturous sight before him, wanting to burn it permanently in his memory. Liquid’s body was bowing and tight, chest heaving, eyes screwed shut and mouth hung open in ecstasy.

It was odd to see him ejaculate without receiving any stimulation to his penis. The organ did its job regardless, pumping thick streams of cum over his chest and stomach. When the blonde finally stopped clenching he removed his finger and wiped it off on the towel.

“I told you you’d like it.” Eli looked down at him without seeing him. “You ok?” All he could do was nod in response. Two minutes passed before Eli remembered how to speak. In that time Solid had washed his hands off, and was starting to clean his comatose twin up too.

“That was…not bad.” _‘Not bad’?! I was about to call for a medic!_ “It was fucking amazing. Do you think we can do that again sometime?” _Hell yes._

“Sure.”


	13. Being a Soldier

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There hasn't been much by the way of plot in the last few chapters, so I've got the story flowing again.

Liquid arrived at Cadet Quarter whilst the recruits were training outside with Hell Master Miller. He had a new FOXHOUND trainee uniform, new boots, a new backpack, new equipment and a lot of anxiety. No doubt he would ace the training side of things and set the bar while he was at it – it was the social side of things he was worried about.

He was certain the others would be swarming all over him, cramming him with questions and judgement; just generally being nosey and irritating. People weren’t really his thing. Growing up isolated in the MI5 facility with no one remotely his own age around had got the ball of poor social skills rolling, and the subsequent growing up feral in the wilds of Angola-Zaire had given said ball an almighty kick.

The intense psychological therapy he’d received on Mother Base hadn’t helped much.

After pulling some minor strings, V had gotten him on Solid’s bunk above him. Due to their skill level they would be taking the same classes and training sessions, luckily. Being able to spend time with his brother was something he didn’t have to worry about. Spending ‘quality’ time with him was another matter.

Venom had also given him the rundown on the zero bullshit policy they had at FOXHOUND. There was to be no misbehaving, no backchat, no violence, no doing anything against the rules. Address everyone appropriately, which means calling Kaz ‘Master Miller’ 100% of the time. Don’t expect special treatment – if you goof around Kaz _will_ beat the shit out of you. No bullying either; you can be a spiteful little shit when you want to be. Just…be professional, please.

Then he’d pulled Eli into a painful bear hug and proceeded to tell him how proud he was. Eli had pretended the tears were due to the lack of oxygen the hug had caused.

So, he was starting his first day with depleted emotional reserves and bruised ribs. Finding Dorm 2 was easy, as was finding the bunk he would share with his twin: someone had written ‘Solid trouser Snake’ on one of the lockers, much to his amusement. He unpacked his stuff (A toothbrush, a hairbrush, soap, razor and FOXHOUND supplies) and shoved it into the other half of the graffitied locker.

 _What now?_ All his lessons started tomorrow, today was merely to settle him in. _I suppose I’ll go watch David train with Miller_. Briefly he considered taking the starchy button-up shirt off, but he remembered V telling him he absolutely had to keep it on.

~

It didn’t take long for him to locate the training grounds. The thirty or so recruits in the session were currently vaulting over, under and across the impressive outdoor assault course while Kazuhira watched and barked orders from the side lines. _Am I allowed to go up to him?_

“Watch your fucking footing, Turtle! Pussy around like that on the battlefield and you’ll be the first to die!” Kaz bellowed at one of the recruits. _Maybe not, then. Where’s David?_ Liquid scanned over the commotion to find him. Everyone was dressed the same, and he was searching from a distance. _Wait, there he is_. The brunette was swinging on some monkey-bars. _I’d recognise that gorgeous body anywhere._

Now that he had found him Eli kept his eyes on him. It was quite the treat to see him rushing around in the dirt. During training they were allowed to wear a plain khaki tank top and sweatpants or shorts in lieu of the usual kit. _You look good dressed like that. You look even better undressed, though_.

Kaz blew on a piercing whistle and all the cadets stopped, jogging up to him to listen. Eli couldn’t quite make out what he was saying, but he expected it was along the lines of ‘good work, try even harder next time, don’t forget such and such blah blah blah’. The little meeting was adjourned, and the tired recruits ambled off toward the showers.

The blonde was hoping to intercept his brother to talk to him, but his advance came to a halt when he saw the lively group of guys crowding around him. One of them, a skinny dude with short mousey hair, slapped David’s ass as he came up beside him. _Oh no you fucking don’t cunt._ His brother only laughed and talked loudly with the gaggle as they all patted him on the back and danced around. _What the fuck is this?_ He had decided he already hated them. They were much too familiar with his clone.

Just then Solid spotted him and came striding over, the rowdy dickheads in tow.

“Hey!” The brunette was beaming.

“Hi.” Once the muddy snake had reached him he threw an arm around his shoulders and gave him a squeeze, presenting him to the others.

“Guys, this my brother Liquid Snake! Liquid, these are my friends…” their names were rattled off, but he wasn’t listening. The hatred had intensified the closer they had got, and now it was boiling as they all stood there gawking at him gormlessly.

“It’s like seeing double, you both look really similar! Apart from the hair.”

“How come you never mentioned you had a brother before, Snake?”

“I have!” Solid protested.

“Yeah, the last few weeks! Before he never existed!”

“How come you’ve only just joined FOXHOUND?” that question was for Eli.

“I was busy.” He answered curtly.

“Woah your voice is funny!”

“Yeah, are you European? How come you don’t sound like Snake?” _Lord give me strength._

“I’ve been out of the country for a while.” Out of the corner of his eye he could see David grinning like an idiot. Obviously he didn’t detect his discomfort.

“Alright, I’ve gotta go shower. I’ll catch up with you later, yeah?” and with that he was gone, the others tagging along like ugly ducklings. _I don’t fucking like this. I don’t fucking like_ them _._

~

‘Later’ came after an hour of wondering around aimlessly and kicking gravel in a grump. Solid managed to locate him sulking on the outdoor benches fixed outside the cafeteria building.

“Liquid!” At the call Eli looked up, disappointed to see that the ducklings were still shadowing his twin. _Would you lot fuck off already?_ “There you are, I’ve been looking for you!” the brunette plonked himself down next to the brooding snake, still wearing that annoying smile.

“Here I am.”

“How are you liking your first day as a FOXHOUND recruit?” _Oh it’s just marvellous, brother. I love watching strangers molest you!_

“So far so good.”

“Hello, Other Snake!” The bench became crowded as the others piled on. “I can’t remember the first part – was it Gassy Snake?” Everyone burst out in the most obnoxious bout of laughter, Solid included. _Oh har-de-har, I bet it took you the whole hour to come up with that one._ He tittered mockingly at them but no one noticed it. “Just joking, dude!” _Didn’t realise chimps understood the concept._

“Anyway, I was telling you all about what Rabbit said to me after Saturday night at the bar…” _Blah blah blah, don’t you guys ever shut up?_ “…and then I told her…” _God, it’s like listening to a clique of bored housewives!_ “…didn’t have enough to buy condoms, so…” _I can’t believe David is even paying attention. He’s just soaking it up like a sponge! He hasn’t even looked at me once._ “…nearly missed the shuttle!”

“Nice one, dude!”

“Yeah, Rabbit’s hot as fuck!” _How eloquent._

“What about you, Snake’s brother? You been into town yet?”

“No.” _Can you_ actually _not remember my name?_

“Aw, you two should totally come in with us this weekend! We’re all going to the Elk Street bar, been saving up for it!” _I’d rather die-_

“Yeah, ok! Sounds like fun!” David chimed beside him. _Son of a bitch!_ “We’ve got enough for a few drinks, right Liquid?” _Sorry, I’m saving it to buy a noose._

“Think so.” _There’s nothing I’d like more than to waste my precious down-time with a bunch of wankers I don’t even know._ Everyone went back to chatting, leaving Eli to sit and strop. _Why did you say yes? Can’t you see I don’t like these people? Are you blind, or do you just not care?_ As if sensing his thoughts Solid finally looked at him, flashing him a genuine smile. But only for a second, before turning back to the infantile conversation. _Boring you, am I?_ _The feeling’s mutual._

~

Shockingly, Solid intended to spend lunch with his friends too. Although he didn’t have much of an appetite, Eli supposed he should see what the food was like there. ID had to be shown in order to get fed – as though everyone on base wasn’t in FOXHOUND for whatever reason. Since he had left his ID in his locker he had to go back to Dorm 2 alone to get it.

_This place sucks. David hasn’t said a word to me! He’s more interested in his puerile little cronies and the ins and outs of their insignificant lives. I should be the one he wants to talk to, not them! Apparently I’m not relevant unless we’re fucking. He’s probably just keeping me close to remind himself that I exist._

Solid slipped in the door after him and shut it.

“Eli…” Coming up behind the blonde that was ignoring him, he wrapped his arms around his middle. “Give me a kiss.” _No, I’m teaching you a lesson_. Liquid turned around in his arms and pressed their mouths together hungrily. _(What happened to the lesson?) Fuck it, I’ve been waiting for this._ The spell was broken when they pulled away. _Complain, complain!_

“Why did you say yes to going out this weekend? I thought we were staying together at the cabin?” _Jesus, could that have come out any needier? You’re fucking embarrassing yourself!_

“C’mon, it’ll be fun! They’re not so bad once you get to know them.” _I don’t want to get to know them._ “Besides it’s only one night.”

“I guess so…” he sighed, pillowing his head on his twin’s shoulder. _If only to make sure you don’t have fun without me._

“Let’s go get some food already.”

~

Eli’s first week of training went well. It was strange to train under Kaz. Eli had never done what Commander Miller had asked of him, but he _had_ to do what Master Miller said. He performed at his brother’s inhuman standard, and impressed every other FOXHOUND cadet and member of staff – as he knew he would. News of his existence spread quickly through the gossiping recruits. The twin of the illustrious Solid Snake, just as adept (and handsome). But much less sociable.

Time hadn’t done much to lessen the resentment he felt toward Solid’s friends. In fact it had probably grown. He had nearly erupted like a murderous volcano when one of them had kissed his twin on the cheek and told him they should get married. Of course they were joking, but the white-hot fury was so intense that he had to leave before it bubbled over. He couldn’t afford to be violent here, not on his first week. Venom would be so disappointed.

This couldn’t be resolved with physical attacks, but luckily for him he was adept at broadcasting his contempt to chase people away. He spent every waking minute glued to his brother, trying to wedge his way between him and his insufferable companions. Let them know that David belonged to _him_. Every exchange was brief and detached, and attempts at familiarity where thwarted. The message couldn’t possibly be any louder: ‘I DON’T LIKE YOU’

It seemed as though the message was falling on deaf ears, however. Solid’s posse still talked and joked with him as though they were all besties, closer than ever even. Usually people ran a mile when he wanted to repel them. Not these goons. He was dreading going to a bar with them all that coming weekend; they would be even more touchy feely when they were drunk.

_Oh goodie._


	14. The Pangolin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the sloppy dialogue and complete lack of knowledge about alcohol

Solid had been looking forward to introducing Eli to his friends. He felt proud when they finally met him and inducted him onto their little group. _Look how handsome and funny and talented my brother is! Isn’t he the best?_ He wasn’t expecting his twin to warm up to the company straight away. Liquid was obviously nervous around them, but they were all doing their best to make him feel welcome. Solid had warned them that he was shy.

The blonde’s odd behaviour was put down to social anxiety. Although that was a very big factor, no one had any clue just how much he despised watching David listen to _other_ people’s stories and laugh at _other_ people’s jokes and enjoy _other_ people’s company.

This trip into town would be an excellent bonding opportunity.

After training ended that Friday they all hit the showers to get ready for the night out. Solid had to avoid looking at Eli in the shower; it was very…distracting to watch him lather up and get all wet. That was easier said than done, though. Especially when his brother would choose the spot right next to him every time, as though he wanted him to pop a boner in front of the others.

Once they were all dry and dressed they made their merry way down to the shuttle stop at the entrance. The transportation didn’t run as frequently on weekdays, so some quick walking was in order to catch it in time. As expected Liquid manoeuvred him into a two seat row and placed himself next to him. Getting to be close to him all the time was nice, but he was dying to touch him. Those jeans the blonde was wearing that squeezed him in all the right places weren’t helping.

“Anyway, I told him that there wasn’t enough time to do both if he was going to…” Goose was continuing in his seemingly endless supply of dialogue. Solid only ever half-listened, but he was good at seeming like he was engrossed. Most of the time they talked about utter bullshit, but they were good for a laugh.

Eli took his hand in his own and looped their fingers together. _What are you doing? The others are gonna see!_ As he was about to snatch his hand back the blonde gave it a squeeze and stroked his thumb over it lightly. The sudden affection was a surprise; they weren’t cold with one another, but they weren’t all lovey-dovey either. They had never held hands before (except for that one accidental time when they met).

 _This isn’t so bad. Maybe the others won’t think anything of it because we’re twins…I hope. Is it normal for twins to hold hands?_ The world whizzed past the foggy window, driving snowflakes against the pane.

~

The aptly named Elk Street Bar was never going to possess a five-star rating, but it got a lot of business from the locals and FOXHOUND operatives alike. They turned a blind eye to your age if you looked old enough, which was lucky for the underage twins. Inside was dim and stank of booze and tobacco, in the typical bar fashion. There was enough room for the group of seven to settle into some leather chairs in the corner next to the jukebox.

Eli amused himself while the others were talking by looking at the US junk and hunter paraphernalia strung up on every inch of the peeling walls.

“Hi boys, what’ll you fine gentlemen be having?” A stick thin waitress sauntered up to them, pen and pad at the ready.

“Let’s start off easy, then we can get fucked up.” Crow supplied excitedly.

“Sounds like a plan! Ok, uh…just get us each a beer first.”

“Very adventurous, Goosey.”

“Ok darlin’, I’ll go get your drinks.” The recruits watched her wiggle away. _We didn’t even have to show ID. Real classy place, so far_ Eli thought to himself. Before any conversation could pick up she was back with their request, handing the glasses to the offered hands.

The first sip tasted awful, as did the second and third. _Who would pay for this? Well - me, apparently._ Solid was lounging on the booth next to him, their thighs pressed together comfortably. He seemed to be enjoying his. Or, at least, he couldn’t taste it.

It took 15 minutes and half of another beer until Liquid started to feel the effects. First he felt like he was buzzing, like everything was suddenly less crowded and bothersome. The he felt warm and fuzzy, sinking gratefully into the leather booth with his drink.

“So how come you went travelling while Snake stayed at FOXHOUND?” one of his brother’s suddenly less annoying buddies inquired.

“Um…because I was studying.”

“Uh huh? What was it?”

“…All sorts.”

“Can you be more specific?”

“There was lots. Linguistics, small arms – like we do here.” David jumped in to help him.

“Then why not just go here?”

“Because our father wanted us to spend some time apart.” The twins grinned at their lie.

“Jeez, that’s harsh! Alright, is everyone done? Let’s move on to something a little stronger!”

Liquid ended up having three fingers of Jack Daniels, two shots of vodka and one shot of tequila. He thought he was holding up pretty well for someone who had never drunk before. Sure, he had gone discretely to the bathroom to throw up between the vodka shots, but he was still up for more. Now the gang didn’t seem so bad; he was actually having fun. Some more recruits from FOXHOUND came in and placed themselves near enough to chat.

“Listen to me – are you listening? Pangolin, are ya listenin’?” Crow was all but lying across the sticky table to get everyone’s attention.

“Sure -”

“What even _is_ a pangolin anyway? That’s not an animal!” the one affectionately known as Dyke cut in.

“What’s a _pangolin_? What the fuck is a _duiker_?!” the slurring made the argument a lot funnier.

“It’s like a little deer!” Crow chimed on the table. “Are you listenin’? I was gonna say – I – was saying that I would pay good money to watch Chinchilla and Rabbit get it on.” The table all ‘oooooh’ed and bleated with laughter, banging the table with their fists. “Right? Who do I have to – to pay?”

“Me!” Goose yelled, and they all started bellowing again. Eli was finding the rapport very amusing, whereas usually he would be disgusted.

“No, no no! That’s not gonna happen!” Rabbit announced from the booth adjacent to theirs. Chinchilla parroted her quietly. “Why would you? Even?”

“C’mon girls, I have seven dollars left!” Dyke fished in his pockets but came up empty.

“No, no no, it’s not enough. Let me tell you what a real show…what…a real good money-paying-to-seeing thing would be.” Rabbit leaned in conspiringly, pointing her finger at the floor to emphasise her point.

“…What is it then?”

“Shhh!” she giggled. Then she swirled her finger around dramatically until it fell on the twins, who were sitting unobtrusively and observing the scene with inebriated joy. “You…paying to see _you_ two get it on!” the recruits roared and elbowed each other. “I have two whole dollars…now…give e-each other a lil’ kissy!” the mirth continued, and increased (if it was even possible) when Liquid accepted the proffered bills.

 _Fine then, I’ll show you all just how much he belongs to me!_ He turned toward his twin, who was shaking his head and giggling.

“No, we can’t!” _Yes, we are!_ Eli held the brunette in place by holding onto his shoulders, then leaned in and melded their faces together, tongue first. The girls started squealing like piglets and the guys whooped and clapped as the clones shared a very hot and messy kiss.

When they pulled apart long after the appropriate amount of time their companions were still cawing. Rabbit was trying desperately to get her camera from her purse.

“You guys are wild!” The blonde sat back looking very proud of himself.

“Alright, I think maybe we should go home.” Solid declared, followed by the objections of the table. “No, I think we’ve had enough!” Eli scooted out of the booth and got shakily to his feet. The world tilted, and he bumped into his brother as he shuffled out of the dingy establishment.

The icy weather helped the dizziness slightly. David called them a taxi from a payphone as the next shuttle was 45 minutes away. “I wanna get home as soon as possible.” His brother pinched is butt with a breathy chuckle. “I need to touch you _now_. So, let’s go home.”

~

The taxi was faster than the bus. After witnessing them stumble back into the compound in a sorry state, one of the guards offered to drop them back to Cadet Quarter in his car. They said they were going to staff accommodation for the weekend, so he offered to drop them there instead. They agreed – it was a four mile walk.

Unlocking the door was considerably more difficult drunk than it was sober. On the fifth try Liquid got it, and they fell into the cabin to claw at each other fervently. Their clothes, carpet, walls and sofa worked against them in their clumsy commute to the bedroom.

“I thought we’d never fucking get home.” Eli complained.

“Me too. We’re back now, so get undressed. I’m gonna fuck your brains out!” The blonde chuckled and fell back onto the bed.  David stood over him topless, unbuckling his belt and biting his lip in the way he loved so much. _Please do!_

“Hurry up, hurry up!” he chanted, flinging his underwear carelessly across the room.

“I am, I am!” An eternity later they were both suitably naked. Solid climbed on top of him, and Liquid bit his lip when he tried to kiss him. _Mine!_ The alcohol had made him feisty (er than usual).

“Fuck my brains out, David! Give it to me, I – I want you inside me!” His brother growled at his exclamation and sucked hard at his throat. _Yes, yes! I need you!_ After leaving what would undoubtedly be a hickey in the morning, he crawled over to the bedside cabinet to procure the tube of lubricant.

“Get on your front, baby.” _Fuck yes hurry up I need it!_ Solid moved back over to sit on the back of his thighs, grabbing an ass cheek painfully.    

“Ah! Please, hurry!” The gripping hand made a bright red mark when he took it away.

“Be patient, I need to loosen you up first.” _What? No!_

“It doesn’t matter, just -”

“Be patient!” _No, that’s not what I-_

“Ah!” Solid slid a lubricated finger into him unceremoniously, worming it around and pulling a cheek away with his other hand.

“Just relax, baby. This won’t take long.” _It better not._ Once the brunette was satisfied with the progress, he added another to join the first. The sudden stretch burnt slightly, and a tiny glimmer of panic made itself known from the rational part of his brain. _Is this gonna hurt?_ It was quickly overridden by the drunk part of his brain, yelling _Nah! It’ll be fine!_

The two fingers started to part, stretching him open. They kept a steady pace back and forth into him. _This feels kinda weird-Nah it’ll be fine!_ A third finger was combined with the others, and the burning and stretching intensified. He made a whining cry and fisted the bedsheets beneath him. “Are you ready?”

“Yes!” _Am I?_ The fingers were removed, and he twisted his head to watch his twin oil up his cock. As he was greasing himself he squirted some lubricant onto Eli’s hole. _Cold!_ “Put it in me David, I need it!”

Kneeling on either side of his legs the brunette lined himself up and pushed forward slowly. _Yes, finally!...Ow, ow, owowow!_ The burning had escalated to a sharp shooting pain as he was entered. A sob choked out of him, muffled in the sheets. His desire to have Solid inside him far outweighed his desire to stop, though. It’s not like he couldn’t handle a little (lot of) pain.

“Fuck, you’re so tight!” Now fully sheathed, Eli could appreciate just how big he and his brother really were. David pulled out carefully halfway, pressing back in with a sigh. Liquid whined. The thrusting fell into a cautious rhythm that seared along the blonde’s spine. Each time he was filled he gave a high little whimper.

The brunette lowered himself to lie along Liquid’s back, panting and kissing the side of his face.

“Ah…ah…David…” a tingling began to replace the uncomfortable pressure in his middle.

“Is this ok?”

“Yeah…ah…go faster.” As the pace increased the tingling morphed into a bizarre pleasure. _Yes!_ “More, more!” Solid obeyed and went even faster. They were both dizzy and slick with sweat – thank goodness the cabin was cold or they might have overheated. “Ahh! _More_ , David, fuck me more!” Eli’s hips were hoisted up until he was resting on his hands and knees. In this position Solid could drive into him more rigorously. That sensitive spot inside him was rubbed hard with each movement.

“Eli, you’re so good!” Holding his hips, Solid yanked his twin back so that their bodies slapped together rapidly. Each of them were getting close now.

“Ah! Fuck! Yes, yes, fuck me!” the alcohol had also loosened his tongue, but his brother wasn’t complaining. In fact he was a fan.

“Tell me how much you love it, baby!”

“ _Fuck_ , I need you Snake! Please – give it to me, daddy!” Before what he had said even computed with the other he came, collapsing onto the bed where he wasn’t being held up. “Ah ah ah yes!”

David followed soon after as his twin tightened unbearably around him, grunting and thrusting. They recovered foggily from their orgasms sprawled out on the mattress. The brunette stroked his fingers softly through Eli’s tangled hair.

“We should get drunk more often.”

“Yeah…” He was lulled to sleep by the fatigue plaguing his ravaged body and his brother fiddling with his hair.


	15. The Aspirin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Liquid needs professional help and Solid's in too deep' alt title :3

Solid woke after midday, immediately in pain. His head was thumping dully and the dim light glowing through the drawn curtains set his eyes on fire.

“Uuuuuhhhghhg…” _Ooooowwwwww._ He rolled on his side away from the light, becoming aware that he was about to throw up. Awkwardly he shuffled off the bed and stumbled through the little house to the bathroom, barely reaching the toilet bowl in time.

 _Oh God, I think I’m dying!_ Taking a minute to make sure that was the last of it, he crawled back the way he came to get back into bed. Liquid was lying on his front there, as naked as he was. _We must have had sex, but I can’t really remember it…_ A blurry memory of when they had French kissed in front of the other cadets surfaced, and he cringed. _That wasn’t a good idea…hopefully no one else there remembers it._

Eli stirred when he fell back on the bed, groaning.

“Uuuhg, my head!” _Not so loud!_ The blonde swung his legs off the mattress and stood, only to crumple onto the floor immediately. _The fuck are you doing?_ “AH shit! Owww! Wha-what did you do to me?”

“Shhh, I didn’t do anything! Be quiet, I’ve got a giant headache.”

“Something’s wrong, it really hurts!” _Please stop shouting!_ “I-I think – do you remember what we did last night?”

“Not much.” Another fuzzy memory of them undressing hastily.

“Shit…I think we had sex.”

“Nice deduction, genius!”

“No, I mean you put it in!” _What are you talking about?_ “I can’t stand up, my ass is killing me!” It took a moment for the implications of the statement to properly sink in.

“…Do you mean…I put it in _you_? Like…up your butt?”

“It certainly fucking feels that way! Get the aspirin would you, I’m dying!” _Did we?_ Solid got up carefully to amble back into the bathroom for the painkillers. _These better be strong._ He made the trip to the kitchenette through the freezing cold cabin to dissolve them in glasses of water. As they fizzed far too loudly yet another memory emerged from the buzzing agony of his mind: Eli on his hands and knees, getting drilled by his cock. _We_ did _! I can’t believe we actually did that!_

This time when he returned to the bedroom Liquid was lying on his front. The backs of his thighs were sticky. “Gimme the drugs.” David handed him a glass and dropped heavily back down with his own.

“We did. I can remember it.”

“…Yeah, me too. I can remember you calling me tight, anyway.” _Did I? How much can I recall? Stretching you open with my fingers…you begging me for it (hot)…I called you ‘baby’, that’s embarrassing!_ He cringed again, taking a sip of the bitter water. _(There’s something even worse than that) What was it again?_ A flashback of Eli calling him ‘daddy’ arose and he spluttered on his drink. _Holy shit! What the fuck is that all about!_

“I know it tastes gross, but was that really necessary?” _You are never gonna live this one down!_

“What else do you remember?”

“Bits and pieces.” _I can’t wait to fucking embarrass you!_

“Are you sure? I have a very good recollection. Of some things you may have said.” The blonde tensed up next to him. _So you do remember, then!_ “Like you _begging_ me, for one.” _I did like that, actually._ “And of you calling me ‘daddy’!”

“…Are you not into it?” _What?_

“What?”

“Do you not think it’s hot?” _Ummmmmm_.

“Are-are you being serious?” Liquid turned his face toward him, smirking.

“Yeah, I think it’s sexy. You were calling me baby, it works.” he shrugged. _Wow ok, thought you’d be humiliated. Looks like tables have turned._

“Um…it’s a bit weird to though, isn’t it? I mean…” Eli laughed.

“All of this is weird. You better get used to it, ‘cause I’m not gonna stop.” _I can’t tell if you’re fucking with me or not._

~

It seemed like Eli was trying to make him as pissed off as possible. All of the following week the blonde had antagonised him, refusing his kisses on the few occasions they were alone, hiding his equipment from him when he needed it, ‘accidentally’ spilling his drinks, hitting much harder than required during training. Just being a child.

He was still standoffish with the others, even after the trip into town. It was worse than before, because he had upgraded from being incurious to making snide remarks at them every now and then. He felt responsible for how shitty his brother was being to his friends. Solid was more than a little annoyed, especially since nothing seemed to have triggered the change in behaviour.

Then it got even worse the next week. The weekend they spent together in between had been just as good as the others, but even then he had noticed something was off. He would catch Eli staring at him with an odd look on his face, and when he asked what was wrong all he got was ‘nothing’.

That Monday Goose got a letter from his mother saying that his uncle had died. He told David about it tearfully, hoping his friend would comfort him. Consoling people was never his strong point, so he just sat with his arm around his shoulder wordlessly. Liquid had managed to locate the quiet corner they were in and came prowling over. When Solid caught sight of him he shooed him away with his hand, mouthing ‘not now, go away’. The blonde had stormed off sulkily.

The following day Master Miller pulled David aside on his way to the gym.

“Where’s your brother?” _Probably skulking around making people miserable._

“I don’t know, I haven’t seen him all day.”

“Have you noticed anything wrong with him? I mean, besides the usual.”

“He’s been more of a jerk to everyone, if that’s what you mean.” Miller sighed and twisted his bionic wrist. The brunette had seen him doing it before, it must have been a tick.

“Listen…Boss said that Liquid came to him last night asking to leave FOXHOUND. He wouldn’t say why, just that he seemed really upset.” WHAT? “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about it, would you?”

“I – no, I had no idea…”

“Do you think you could talk to him? He might speak easier with you.”

“Uh, yeah, sure. Thank you, Master.” _He wants to leave? What the fuck? Why?_ Kaz left him to start his search, crunching down the gravel path. _I can’t believe he went to the Boss about leaving. Why would he want that? Does he want to stop training or leave the base altogether? I don’t get it!_

Solid found his twin quarter of an hour later in the empty laundry room after racing around Cadet Quarter, punching Goose in the face so hard that the mousey-haired boy fell onto the floor. “WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!” Liquid whipped around, surprised.

“He started it!” was his response. David raced over to where his friend was writhing on the floor, bleeding profusely from the nose.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“It’s his fault! He was being mean to me!”

“Are you some kind of fucking child? Why do you have to be like this?!” Eli recoiled as though he’d been slapped.

“He said -”

“I don’t care what he said! Why are you so fucking _difficult_ all the time? Do you _want_ to make me suffer, is that it?” Goose was trying to crawl away from the arguing snakes, holding his broken nose in one red hand. Solid let him go so they could shout in peace. Once he had made it past Liquid unmolested he got quickly to his feet and made his escape, thoughtful enough to close the door on the way out.

“Why are you siding with him? I suppose that’s typical Solid Snake, choosing his mates over his own brother!”

“What are you even talking about?” The blonde just folded his arms and scowled. “Why are you trying to leave FOXHOUND? Why would you do that?”

“I’m surprised you even remember I’m in it in the first place, you never pay any attention to me when we’re here!” _WHAT!_

“Will you just fucking speak to me instead of making this some kind of torture?”

“So talking to me is torture, is it?”

“Yes, it is! You’re so complicated and demanding, sometimes being _around_ you is torture! I never know which way is up with you!”

Bracing himself for the manic explosion of feral violence left him unprepared and startled when Eli fell to his knees and started sobbing. _Are you for real?_ “What are you doing? Stop being such a baby!...C’mon, there’s no need to cry about it!”

“I don’t want to be here anymore!” sob “You’re always ignoring me!” sob “You’d rather spend time with anyone else!”

“What? Is this because Goose was upset the other day?”

“ _No_ , you’re always trying to get rid of me!” sob.

“When? Stop crying, Eli.”

“All the time, you have your friends around -” sob “- so it’s never just us; I don’t like them David!”

“That’s so selfish - I’m not gonna ditch them just because you say so! They’re my friends, I want to hang out with them!”

“But you’re supposed to want _me_! You’re supposed to want _me_ with you, want me happy! You’re supposed to _love me_!” Liquid fell the rest of the way to the tile floor, curling up and weeping. The phrase ‘mentally and emotionally unstable’ from Liquid’s file flashed through his mind. _No shit. There’s obviously something up in his head._ Solid sat himself next to his twin, placing a hand uncertainly on his shoulder.

“I can’t just ignore the rest of the world because you want me to. But I do want you, and I want you to be happy. I also want you to stop bottling shit like this up instead of just talking to me.” The blonde kept on crying. He’d tried shouting, hurting his feelings and talking sense; now he needed a new tactic.

Solid lay himself behind the other, wrapping his arms around him and pulling his back to his chest. That seemed to work slightly, the sobbing was dying away. “Please stop crying. Being around you isn’t really torture. I love spending time with you…when you’re in a good mood.” Liquid laughed at that through the tears, but the sound was hollow. “I want you to tell me what’s up. Why have you been acting so funny? Is it because you don’t like my friends?” The reply took a long time, but the brunette didn’t rush him. He knew it would take a while for him to organise it all into words.

“A bit.” _It took all this time for that?_

“If it’s just a bit, then what’s the rest?” Now the crying had completely stopped, and the blonde was trying to breathe again.

“I love you. That’s the problem. I love you, but it’s making me sick. I can’t stand that you can be happy with anyone other than me. I want to have you all to myself, but I can’t. And that makes me sick.” David’s mind was blank and busy all at once. _(………….) Did he just say he loved me? (You have to reply!)_

“I…” _Tell him something before too long! (Tell him how you feel) How do I feel?_ He had never been in love before, so he didn’t know how it was supposed to feel. Did he love Eli? He wanted him, but that wasn’t enough. It was true that he enjoyed his company. When Miller had said he wanted to leave FOXHOUND he had felt like a vice was crushing his chest.

The thought of never seeing his twin again was devastating. Never being able to see his face or hear him laugh, or talk to him, or play with his hair, or kiss him or make love to him… “I love you too. But I think that just makes things harder for us.” And that was the truth.


	16. The Bath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took so long to do!

1984 – Mother Base (Seychelles)

\- Eli’s Dream

Liquid Snake and Venom Snake were sat side by side on the lumpy loveseat that had been pushed into the blonde’s little room, watching some Disney drivel on the bulky TV. His unconscious mind didn’t register which one it was exactly, but there was movement and colour and music.

V caught his attention by patting his lap, inviting Eli over. That didn’t seem strange to him in a dream, so he complied, sitting so that they were chest-to-back. He was still short enough that V could rest his chin on the top of his head. _This is nice._

The fingers on the man’s flesh hand traced over the buckle on Eli’s belt. For some reason the action made the boy feel excited, although he had no idea why. Slowly the hand slid down until it was cupping him through his camo shorts, grinding gently into him. The imaginary pleasure was instant and intense.

“Daddy…”

“Shh, it’s okay baby.” In the dream the film had disappeared, forgotten. Very quickly the alien sensation was building under the rubbing palm. _This feels really weird!_ The hot ball of feeling inside him swelled to an incredible peak, bursting almost painfully for the first time.

Liquid woke with a gasp, bolting upright where he was napping on his father’s not-so-lumpy leather loveseat in one of V’s rooms on Base. Eli instantly felt the wetness spreading between his legs over the lingering pleasure, and lifted the thick blanket tentatively.

 _Did I wet myself? Why the fuck did that happen? He_ peeked under his shorts too to try and assess the damage. Past the first downy hints of pubic hair that he was immensely proud of, the ‘damage’ was worryingly dissimilar to urine. The dying erection was also a worrying sight.

 _Oh God, what is that! That can’t be right, why is it all gooey? Something must be really wrong – I must be sick…How am I gonna sneak back to my own quarters like this!_ With haste. Slipping off the clammy sofa, Liquid scurried out of the room, planning to hurry as quietly as he could back to his own room.

Venom caught him before the exit, unwittingly blocking his getaway.

“Where are you going in such a hurry?” His son didn’t reply, opting to stare at the floor instead. Why did he look so guilty? The dark wet stain on the front of his bottoms caught V’s attention. “Did you have another nightmare?” Eli shook his head slowly. He felt like he was in a nightmare now.

“…It’s all sticky.” he whispered to his feet. _Don’t panic, don’t cry._ Venom was taking a long time to answer. Inside he was panicking too; he hadn’t prepared what he was going to say in this situation.

“Oh, uh…it’s ok, baby. It’s, uh – it happens to every boy your age. Why don’t you go get cleaned up? We can talk about it after, ok?”

~

1992 – FOXHOUND Primary Base (Alaska)

David’s arm was draped over Eli’s face when he woke up. The brunette was spread like a starfish on the bed, snoring lightly. Eli moved the limb off him and lifted the quilt to get a look at his twin’s bare body. _There’s no better way to start a day than seeing you naked, brother._

Carefully he lowered his hand to the dusky hair growing at David’s groin and ran his fingers back and forth through it. _I can touch you as much as I want. You’re all mine. Maybe I should wake you up to have some fun._ His brother was way ahead of him, rousing with a yawn and a sleepy smile.

“Mornin’” Eli was pulled closer to receive a quick kiss. “What’s your hand doing down there?” It was the blonde’s turn to give a cheeky grin.

“Whatever you want it to.”

“Mmmh, good. Can it make me some breakfast then?” The smile was dropped and Solid laughed. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” _That is not funny_. Solid wound a strand of golden hair around his fingers. He seemed to enjoy playing with Eli’s hair. Eli enjoyed it too. “Hey, why don’t you go run us both a bath? Would you like that?” _Immensely._

“Sounds like more fun than breakfast.” Shimmying out from the warmth of the covers made the icy Alaskan temperature in the cabin all the more shocking. The tile floor of the bathroom made it worse. They never turned on the central heating as their extreme climate training made it bearable. However, it was nice that the water ran hot as soon as the tap was turned on, steaming against the porcelain.

 _Are we both going to fit in here together?_ The tub wasn’t small, but neither were the snakes. _I like this idea. Today is going to be good, I can tell._ There was all sorts they could get up to on their day off. Their confession of love earlier that week hadn’t affected their little trysts as far as he could tell.

But they had only had one since then. And that had been the same (and just as exciting) as the others, more or less. Maybe David had kissed him more and stroked his hair after, though. That wasn’t particularly an undesirable development in his opinion.

Although it took a while for him to admit it to himself, Eli wanted them to have anal again. A fortnight later and the memory of their drunken liaison was still sketchy, but he remembered enough to know that he had loved it; and not just because he had been inebriated. It had probably been the hottest, most intense thing that had ever happened to him.

He wanted to ask for it, but he wasn’t sure how to go about it. What if David didn’t want it again? What if he thought Liquid was weird for wanting it?

The introspection was interrupted when Solid circled his arms around his waist, spooking him for the thousandth time. “Bloody Christ, would you stop doing that!” An elbow to the ribs wasn’t much deterrence.

“Didn’t you hear me come in? Don’t fill it too much, it’ll spill over the sides.” Keeping one arm in place the brunette twisted the faucet off. He gestured for his brother to get in first.

They had to pull their knees up tight in order to squeeze in.

“Well, isn’t this cosy?”

“Turn and sit over here, there’ll be more room.” Eli did as he was bid, lying back against his twin’s chest with a sigh. They sat in relaxed silence as the heat seeped into their bones. David fumbled for the bar of soap and started smoothing it along Liquid’s front under the water. The blonde tilted his head back to pull at his ear with his mouth.

“You know there’s not much point in cleaning me if I’m just going to get dirty again.” he mumbled.

“This is more for fun than anything. I was kinda hoping the main event would come after.” Liquid chuckled at that.

“So this is just a warm up?”

“I could give you a practice run if you want.” The soap sunk lower, sliding over his genitals suggestively.

“Hmm, that does sound nice.” _Ask him about it._ “What did you have in mind for the main event?”

“I thought it was obvious I meant sex, unless you had something else planned.” _He knows I want to ask him something. Just say it!_

“Well…I was wondering if we could do something a little different…” That certainly piqued the brunette’s curiosity.

“Yeah? Like what?”

“I thought you might like to put it in me again.”David took a moment to absorb the proposition _…Are you gonna answer me?_

“Would you want me to do that?” _Very much._

“Yes, I want it.” Solid ran his tongue down his neck and along his shoulder, making him gasp.

“Good.”

~

The twins got out of the tub without doing much more than pet each other and get worked up. Drying off was difficult when you were snogging at the same time. Somehow they managed to towel the worst off and make it back to the bedroom.

They were both excited and nervous, even though they had done this before. Now they were sober, so it was as if this were the first time all over. Alcohol made you a lot more confident and adventurous.

This time Eli lay on his back over the towels they had used to haphazardly dry after their bath. David spent a long time just touching him, running his hands along every inch of skin he could reach while lying on top of him; as if trying to commit it to memory. The wait was making Eli even more jittery.

Just as he was about to ask him to get on with it before he changed his mind, Solid reached over to the bedside cabinet at retrieved the rapidly depleting tube of lubricant.

“You ready?”

“It’s not surgery David.” The brunette laughed and uncapped the tube, drizzling some over his fingers.

“If you say so. Consider this the pre-op, then.” with his clean hand he moved one of the blonde’s legs aside. As the first finger wiggled its way in Eli wondered if he would ever get used to the sensation. Another was added to start stretching him, hooking up into that sweet spot inside him. “I love the noises you make when I do this.”

“Ahh. Well, I love it when you do it.” Solid dipped his head to suck at the sensitive skin on the inside of his thigh, pushing a third digit into him. The intrusion stung at first, but he quickly got used to it. Still the fingers crooked to press against his prostate, making him whimper.

 _If he keeps this up I’ll finish before we even start._ “Alright, I’m ready.” David slowly pulled his fingers out, wiping them on the spread towel.

“’Kay. Spread your legs a bit wider – no, push them up like this.” Gracelessly Eli’s legs were hoisted and bent towards him. _Is this intercourse or a pelvic exam?_ He must have been pulling a face because David laughed and let go. “Sorry, it’s just quicker to show you.”

The brunette didn’t waste much time in pumping himself to full hardness and rubbing on some lubricant. _What a shame, I like to watch you play with yourself. Another time, then_.

Before moving closer, Solid grabbed a pillow to stick under the small of his back, propping him up slightly. “Now it might be a little easier.” _Good thinking._ They were both prepped and ready. Carefully Solid guided himself to the entrance and started to push in.

“Wait, put some more lube on.” His twin was quick to rectify his error, snatching up the tube again. Once he was suitably slicked up (and a bit was applied to Eli too) he continued. Eli tried hard to keep himself relaxed against the invasion as it gradually inched into him. It was painful, but he wasn’t going to let it stop them.

“Does it hurt? Do you want me to stop?” Solid noticed his expression and stilled.

“No, it’s okay. Keep going.” He dug his heels into his brother’s lower back to urge him on. Cautiously he resumed. When he was all the way in David leaned forward to rest on top of the other, kissing along the column of his throat. Slowly the burning and stinging was fading. “…You can move now.”

The pain disappeared much faster this time around. Their rubbing abdomens made a nice pressure on his unattended cock. Making a particularly needy sound prompted his twin to ask:

“Do you like that?” his voice was thick and husky, sending feverish shivers down Liquid’s spine.

“Yes, don’t stop.” The thrusting got quicker and the moaning got louder as the pleasure increased. Needing something to bite, Eli’s teeth found the soft flesh under David’s jaw and attacked it. In retaliation the brunette sped up even more. Their panting and gasping and groaning rang through the empty house, the only witness to their immoral intimacy.

Eli came with a cry, tipping his head back into the pillow and rocking his hips to drive Solid deeper inside. His seed spurt onto both of their stomachs, stringing as their bodies separated. Solid pulled out as the orgasmic fog was clearing from the other’s senses. “Why didn’t you finish off? I don’t mind it.”

“I am gonna finish off – but I want you to suck it out of me.”

“Ew, no! I know where you’ve been.”

“I’ll clean it off on the towel.” The hasty wiping of his prick wasn’t very persuasive. _There’s no way I’m doing that._ Then David pulled the horny face that he just could resist and his resolve suddenly wavered. _Shit…I’m far too weak where you’re concerned._ “Ok, but wipe it off again. Thoroughly.”

They moved places so that David was sitting against the headboard and Eli was lying out before him, poised to start. After giving a few experimental licks he sealed his lips around the shaft and began bobbing his head over it. With the little experience his technique had improved, and he was able to take in a lot more without choking.

There wasn’t much point in going slow to build it up, the brunette was already fit to burst.

“Fuck, you’re getting good at this!” _So I was bad before?_ “I’m close, keep going!” _I know, you keep trying to force it down my throat!_ was what he would have said if his mouth wasn’t otherwise occupied. “Wait, did you hear something?”

Liquid stopped to utter a ‘no’ before resuming. He couldn’t hear much of anything over the wet slurping and heavy breathing. Distracted, David forgot about his cursory investigation and went back to enjoying his blowjob, curling his brother’s blonde hair around his fingers. Their warm bubble of passion was abruptly burst when the bedroom door swung open.

Kaz took five long seconds to absorb the indelicate scene before wordlessly shutting the door again and leaving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh-oh spaghettio


	17. Daddy Knows Best

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Give Kaz a break 2k17  
> Again sorry for the long wait, I have been out of the country :3

Kazuhira Miller wouldn’t say that he had lead a charmed life. Growing up half white in Japan had meant being subjected to racism and prejudice – something no person, especially a child, should have to deal with.

His mother had fallen ill when he was young, leaving him responsible for the both of them. She had been good to him, but in his haste to journey to the illustrious America and meet his father he had deserted her in her time of need. When he had returned years later she had forgotten who he was.

His absent father had been good to him too, once he had arrived in the States. But, like his mother, his father had also been taken before his time; committing suicide while Kaz was away in Japan. On top of the death of his parents, his career in the military had been unsatisfying. That is, until he met Snake.

Snake had been the beacon of light that guided him through his troubled past toward a promising future. There was no one he had admired, respected or loved more. After a blissful four years with the MSF his life once again turned to shit when Mother Base was destroyed and Snake fell into a 9 year coma.

Then there was the whole doppelgänger conspiracy, the loss of his arm and leg, the countless other losses that drove him mad. Surely he deserved a little break, right? Apparently not. Apparently his life wasn’t nearly traumatic enough already. He had only popped into Eli’s to check up on him. He had knocked, the door was unlocked, no one was home, he called out and no one replied. So he had done the obvious thing and checked the other rooms.

Kaz was currently panicking outside of Big Boss’ office in the main Intel building. What the fuck was he going to say? How exactly do you tell someone that their sons were engaged in an incestuous relationship? _‘Here’s the thing V, I went into the bedroom and – you’ll never guess what -’ I don’t fucking get paid enough for this. Suppose there’s no point in putting this off._

He knocked on the door, calling ‘Boss, it’s me’; that usually gained him quick entry. Hearing the answering ‘Come in’ he twisted the doorknob with a sweaty hand and entered. The office wasn’t as extravagant as one may expect from a man such as Big Boss. It wasn’t particularly plain, but it was simple.

The walls were pine wood panelled, cohering with the Alaskan location. There were no pictures on the walls, save a few snowy landscape paintings that someone had probably forced him to put up. _If he had it his way there would be dogs everywhere._

On one of the walls a shelf had been fitted, displaying a random assortment of curios: a small pot of white flowers, the shrapnel horn that had been dangerously embedded in V’s head, a bullet on a necklace chain, a vibrant blue butterfly pinned in a glass case. Things that would be meaningless to anybody who didn’t know the stories behind them, as Kazuhira did.

Behind a varnished desk laden with paperwork sat the man himself, Venom Snake. He was leaning back comfortably in his leather swivel chair, filling the room with the sickly vapours of his phantom cigar and tapping his bionic fingers on the armrest.

“What is it, Kaz?” Miller opened his mouth to speak, closed it when no words would come out, and sat himself on one of the chairs in front of the desk. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” _I wish I had, this is much worse._ “Want a drink?” V kicked off the desk and wheeled his chair toward where he had some whiskey and glasses waiting. That cliché was more like something expected of him.

“Please.” Kaz finished off two burning drinks before he started speaking. Venom waited patiently; he was a busy man, but he could tell something was wrong. He trusted Miller enough to know that he wouldn’t waste his time with just anything. “I…uh…so, I went to check on Eli today. ‘Bout fifteen minutes ago. Erm…I’ll just walk you through what happened, alright?”

“Is he ok?”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t rush me! Alright…So I knocked on the door, and he didn’t answer.”

“Is he sick?”

“No, just – wait for it!” Kaz leaned back into the hard chair, rubbing his face with his hands. “There was no answer, so I went in – it was unlocked – and I shouted his name. Still no answer, so I thought _‘If he’s not home, then why is the door unlocked?_ ’ Then I went to check the bedroom…he, uh…” once again he trailed off, planning his speech and gathering his courage.

“You didn’t catch him jerking off did you? Haha!” A plume of vapour erupted from V’s mouth, curling in the still air. It made him look like a dragon.

“I’m glad you’re finding this so funny! And no, I didn’t. Shit, I have no idea how to tell you this…I almost don’t want to, like it didn’t really happen unless I acknowledge it.”

“Just get to the fucking point, you’re making me nervous.” Kaz let out a withering sigh, twisting his prosthetic wrist with a _click_.

“David and Eli were in the bedroom.” _Hope you’re prepared, ‘cause I’m about to ruin your life (Just come out and say it, real matter-of-fact so it’s easy)._ “They-they were both naked on the bed.” V sat up, the surprise evident in his features. “And Eli was, uh…he was sucking him off.” The phantom cigar fell from Boss’ nerveless hand, landing with a clatter neither of them heard and rolling away. He sat like that, frozen still as a statue as he tried to process the information.

When he finally spoke he said: “Please tell me you’re joking.”

“Why the _fuck_ would I joke about this?”

“Are – are you sure that -”

“Yes, I’m sure, and no, it wasn’t my imagination or a trick of the light or something. My vision isn’t what it used to be, but even a blind man could have seen what was going on!” V slowly moved to retrieve the cigar, wearing a thousand yard stare. Once it had been recovered he sat back up, equally as slowly. Miller waited for several minutes during V’s catatonia before interjecting. “Are you ok Snake?”

Venom chuckled dryly and rose from his chair, turning to look out the window behind him. _Shit, I think I broke him._ The sun was shining into the office from a cloudless sky, glaring of the blanketed snow below. Snake’s metal hand drove into the pane, shattering the double glazing with a sharp _crack_ and sending splinters of glass sailing through the air outside, glittering and twinkling like stars.

~

Solid and Liquid were still at the house, frantically attempting to come up with a solution to their dilemma and finding nothing. Needless to say Liquid hadn’t finished him off. They were both dressed and sat on the sofa, desperately wishing they could turn back time.

Kaz was obviously going to tell their father. Eli had suggested they run away before they had to face the wrath of Big Boss, pack up and sneak off quick and quiet. The brunette had refused, saying that he had invested too much in his life at FOXHOUND to throw it away. His brother pointed out that it might already be over, if Boss decided it to be.

Three times the blonde had tried to call Master Miller’s mobile to beg him not to tell. Three times the call was ignored. Again the subject of fleeing was brought up.

“We can’t stay here David, we _can’t_! He is going to _kill_ us, and I’m not exaggerating!”

“We can’t just bail, either! Maybe – maybe Miller won’t tell-”

“-Bullshit! -”

“-Then maybe Boss won’t believe him!” Liquid crossed his arms and pouted at him.

“V will believe _anything_ Kaz says. He could tell him that a dragon was trying to grant us wishes and he would still believe him!” _This is probably less believable than that._ David cracked his knuckles anxiously in an effort to make his hands stop shaking.

“Try calling Miller again.”

“He’s not picking up, he’s purposely ignoring it. Wait, what if I call Venom?” _Excellent suggestion._

“What the fuck is that going to achieve?”

“If I call him before Kaz can get to him, I can, I dunno, say that Kaz is going to lie to him or something. Say that he is lying to punish us for…I dunno.” Solid wasn’t convinced.

“What would we have done to him to make him lie like that? That’s a terrible idea.”

“Well at least I’m coming up with some! Fuck, what are we going to do?!” The blonde clutched onto a sofa cushion hard. He was shaking too. Solid wished there was some way he could comfort him, but he knew there was nothing he could do.

Just as he was about to settle for placing his hand on his shoulder, the phone rang insistently and made them jump. They both sat looking at it, neither of them moving. After a few more shrill rings it grew silent. Liquid slumped back against the settee, rubbing his sweaty palms against his jeans. “Should we have answered that?”

He was given a second chance when the phone rang again, sounding even more threatening than last time. Laboriously Eli got to his feet and tiptoed over to the waiting device, hand hovering uncertainly before it. He picked it up and lifted it hesitantly to his ear. “Yes?”

“I want to see you both in my office. Now.” The line went dead. Liquid replaced the telephone on its wall mount.

“What is it?” David asked quietly, although he already knew the answer.

“Um…V wants us to go to his office.” Eli slid down the wall and sat rubbing his mouth nervously.

“Now?” The blonde nodded in response. _Shit_ , Solid thought, _this literally couldn’t get any worse!_ He was vaguely aware of his twin crawling off toward the bathroom. _God, what I wouldn’t give for this to have never happened! I wish-_ his panic was interrupted by the sound of his brother vomiting in the adjoining room.

Liquid was still retching by the time he reached him. The brunette placed himself beside him and brushed the bangs away from Eli’s face, at a loss for what else to do. David’s desire to comfort him came back, but what could he really do? Say: ‘it’s okay, we’re going to be alright’ – that would be a lie, he had no idea what was going to happen.

For all he knew this could be the last time they ever spoke to each other. _What if this_ is _the last time we ever speak to each other?_ Suddenly he felt like throwing up too.

“…Alright,” Liquid managed to mumble into the toilet bowl, “we should go.”

~

The walk to the Intel building was executed it tense silence. David was never frightened of the building before, but he was now. And he was frightened of what waited inside. As the structure loomed over him, it became harder and harder to keep walking.

For some reason he expected everyone inside to turn and glare at them in disgust, but no one paid them any attention as they trudged past, busying themselves with their work dutifully. The rapid thumping of keyboard keys matched the rhythm of his heartbeat.

Thankfully Master Miller wasn’t waiting for them in one of the chairs outside. The little waiting room was empty, and the office was on its own floor. David had been in Big Boss’ office before once or twice, and even then he had been nervous – but not as petrified as now. _Maybe running away wasn’t such a bad idea after all._ The window to turn and bolt was closed when Eli gently knocked on the door.

“Come in.” The twins paused to look at each other worriedly, and Eli reached out to give his hand a quick squeeze before opening the door.

Inside the lights had been turned on and the large window boarded up, shutting out the sun. Venom was sat at his desk, watching them intently. Liquid shuffled in first, lowering his head and wringing his hands. Solid followed suit. They stood waiting to be invited to sit. The invitation never came.

“V -” Liquid started, only to be cut off sharply.

“Don’t.” The blonde flinched, and they returned to the awkward, heavy silence. A small clock ticked loudly somewhere in the room. Venom took a deep breath. “None of us want to be here, so I’ll make this quick. You have two options. Either you can remain here and lose all contact with each other – no visiting, no talking, no nothing – or you can both be reassigned to new posts. Solid, you’ll go to the FOXHOUND base in Canada to complete your training; and Eli will go back to Mother Base in Africa.”

“No! You can’t do that!” Eli finally found his voice, although it came out weaker than intended. He was ignored.

“I’ll give you five minutes to decide.”

“No, that’s not fair!” This time V laughed instead of ignoring him, a cold, humourless sound that boomed and echoed off the walls.

“Fair? None of this is _fair_. These are the cards you’ve been dealt, now fucking take your pick.” Big Boss leaned back and picked up a pen to continue filling in some paperwork with disinterest. _Pick? Pick?! This can’t be happening!_ David could almost _feel_ his brother seething beside him. He didn’t dare risk a glance at him, even if Boss’ gaze was averted.

_What am I going to pick? If we get reassigned we’ll never see each other again! Fuck, either way we’ll never see each other again…_

“Neither.” Liquid declared, lifting his chin in defiance. “We choose neither. You can’t force us to do anything.”

“I can, and I am.” Their father replied hollowly. “That doesn’t sound like one of the options to me. Solid, what’s your answer?” Surprisingly V turned his attention to the brunette, who was expecting to take a back seat during the entire exchange. He wasn’t as well acquainted with his father than his twin.

“Erm…” _My answer? What do I want? What_ do _I want?_ “…I want to stay here.” Eli turned his head in shock, but Boss looked unaffected.

“Good. You know the terms. You can continue here as you were, so return to Dormitory 2. All contact between you will cease once you leave this room.”

“No, no! That’s not happening, you can’t do this to us!” Eli’s strident arguing had no effect either.

“So you want to go to Africa?”

“ _No_! Neither, you’re not gonna split us up!” the blonde took his hand tightly as if to emphasise how inseparable they were.

“Solid doesn’t seem as invested as you.” Venom remarked coolly. It was true. Who on earth would be stupid enough to argue with Big Boss? What, did Eli think they could deny him and ride off into the sunset together? Their options were the ones Boss gave them, end of. Of course he didn’t want this, of course he wanted to agree with his brother and stay with him; but there was no way they could win. Big Boss was undefeated, that’s why he was Big Boss. Unstoppable.

V sat back casually, clasping his hands with his elbows on the armrests. “Get out Solid, we’re done here.” Eli was the first to move, heading to the door and dragging David with him by their linked hands. “Not you, Eli, come back here.” The blonde pretended he hadn’t heard. “ _Now_.” The warning gave Solid goosebumps; he could hear his anger clearly. He certainly wasn’t a guy you should piss off, yet Liquid was still trotting away.

As they were about to pass the doorframe Boss bore down on them, moving at an inhuman speed. One moment he was lounging behind the desk, the next he was right behind them. He was massive compared to them, it was a wonder such a large man could sneak anywhere. Although they had done most of their growing their father was still taller than them, and much more muscular – more like a grizzly than a human.

V grabbed Eli’s wrist and wrenched it back, forcing their hands apart. “Keep walking, kid.” he addressed David. Liquid squirmed in the bruising grip, trying in vain to get his arm out of the vice.

“Let _go_ of me! Let _go_!” the wiggling snake lifted both his feet off the ground, putting his entire weight on the restraining arm. Venom didn’t even seem to notice it, holding him up with zero effort. The legs kicked out, hitting Boss along the side of his leg up to his hip with booted feet. Again, he didn’t seem to notice.

David stood frozen, unsure if he should abandon his brother like this. There was no point in intervening, Boss could definitely overpower them both. _But I have to do_ something! Seeing his ambivalence, Big Boss fixed him with his single blue eye.

“Leave.” Like an animal Solid could sense the danger, and fled. Eli watched him go, feeling betrayed. David had made him look like a fool; contradicting him in front of V and then deserting him. Once the brunette was out of sight the kicking and writhing picked up again.

“Put me _down_ , stop it!” Still unresponsive to the violence and threats, Venom closed his office door and walked an airborne Eli to one of the chairs, attempting to plonk him down. All the struggling made sitting him properly quite difficult.

“That’s enough, Eli.” He grumbled, trying again to lower him onto the seat.

“No, let me go!” _Why do I even bother?_ Venom Snake thought. Might as well get straight to the point.

“Obviously you can’t be trusted – you’ve demonstrated that well enough over the years. You’re not living in that house by yourself any longer. You’re going to move in with me, so I can keep an eye on you.”

“No! I’m not going to speak to you ever again! I hate you!” It didn’t sting the way Liquid wanted it to; V had been expecting it. He was just being childish, that was all. He’d get over it.

“You don’t have to speak to me, you just have to be good. I know for _you_ that part can be hard.”

“Fuck you!” he hissed back, earning him a hard slap with the back of Venom’s bionic hand. The knuckles cut the skin of his cheek. He was dazed by the force of the blow for a few seconds, before he gathered himself enough to spit right in V’s face. Calmly his father wiped away the saliva with a shirtsleeve.

“That’s enough.” Eli disregarded yet another warning, aiming high to kick V in the ribs. His foot connected, but he might as well have been kicking a brick wall. Venom sighed. “Alright then, don’t say I didn’t warn you. If you’re gonna act like an animal, then I’m going to treat you like one.”

Moving quick as lightning, V twisted his arm and forced him down onto the chair. Reflexively Eli curled up to protect his other extremities. Now effectively pinned, Venom used his prosthetic to grab his face, yanking it roughly up and to the side so that the cuts from the slap were toward him.

“You’ve lost your chubby kid cheeks. Shame.” he observed, biting down on the cuts savagely. Eli yelled, prompting him to clamp down even harder, drawing more blood with his teeth. When he pulled away Liquid was crying, curling up even tighter to hide his face.

For a moment Venom wondered if he’d gone too far, but he knew the only way to cow his son was to show him exactly who was Boss. Liquid only responded to power and strength, so V had to injure him to make him obedient. The tears meant he had won, even if they hurt. “You’ll thank me for this one day.”

“I hate you.” came a muffled response from the coiled snake.

“I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also give the snakes a break 2k17


	18. The Feathers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's sad but I get really excited when I get a comment - I don't have much of a life.

Venom sat alone on the decrepit cot he had had in the lonely orphanage of his youth. He could barely fit on it as a child, let alone as an adult. On the cot beside him lay three babies, nestled asleep in the coils of an enormous snake. The creature was singing softly to them in Russian, darting its tongue over their soft faces.

When its undulating head caught sight of him, the lullabies changed language.

“I had a snake, he was so fast, as fast as snakes can be! S-N-A-K-E, S-N-A-K-E, S-N-A-K-E, he is my favourite snake!” The gentle singing turned into a mocking chant that throbbed through the horn growing painfully from Venom’s head.

“Stop.”

“All the snakes make a hiss, make a hiss, make a hiss. All the snakes make a hiss, and smile at the sun ~”

“Stop!” Its voice pounded into his skull under the horn, making him nauseous. The babies woke up at his outburst, crying shrilly and kicking their tiny feet.

“Look what you’ve done!” the serpent roared. “Look what you’ve done! My poor, sweet babies…” It started to constrict, tensing around the infants and stifling their whines. “Red on yellow, Ahab.” Now the only thing that could be seen of the children past the tightening coils were the odd foot and hand, blue with asphyxia. “Red on yellow, you’re a dead fellow.”

Venom jolted awake, struggling under the suffocating covers for a moment before he realised where he was. He brought his hand to his head. Still no horn. Sighing, he flopped back down onto the mattress to stare at the ceiling. The digital alarm clock on his bedside table showed ‘6:44 am’ in blaring red numbers.

 _I should go check on Eli_. His dream had left him with a strange sense of urgency; had Eli been hurt in the night? V didn’t think he had been strangled by a snake, but his gut told him something was wrong. Fixing the patch over his unseeing eye, he slipped out of bed and into some clothes, not caring what he threw on. He was only going down the hall after all.

After their little meeting yesterday he had taken Eli back to his house immediately. All of his son’s belongings (which weren’t many) had already been moved from the cabin during their talk.

Eli’s room had been stripped for the time being: he had a bed and a chest-of-drawers, but his effects had not been handed over. The window was boarded up too, as well as the mirror in the en suite bathroom. Even his belt and shoelaces were confiscated.

Venom wasn’t sure if he would try and hurt himself while locked in there, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Liquid had tried to before. When the blonde snake had arrived on Mother Base he had been the only child – his ‘soldiers’ were sent to schools back on the mainland.

For the first few weeks V watched him like a hawk. Every night Liquid would sneak off to a deserted corner on the Support platform and stand by the railing, looking out at the sea. At first Venom thought that he was just stargazing, but it became obvious what he was doing when he placed a foot on the first rung of the railing. He was trying to convince himself to jump.

But he never would, deciding to go back to bed after a few hours. Then, one day, he stopped going out to the railing.

Once securely in his new bedroom, Eli’s fit of rage started up again. He screamed and yelled and banged around so much that V wondered if a volcano was erupting inside. The entire time his son was screeching abuse at him, telling him he hated him, that he wished he’d never come back, etcetera, etcetera. Again, he had been expecting it.

Despite the noise, he didn’t go in or speak to him through the door. He just let him tire himself out in peace. At approximately three o’clock in the morning the episode had ceased, leaving the house in blissful silence.

Using a small brass key he unlocked the door as quietly as he could, poised to catch the unruly snake if he came darting out. His eye was already adjusted to the dark of the house, so he walked right in and shut the door behind him.

Inside was a mess. All the drawers had been removed from the cupboard and thrown around, splintered and mangled and strewn about the floor. There were chips of paint and plaster taken out of the walls where the wood had been dashed against them. The pillows had been ripped open, the feather stuffing showered corner to corner.

Eli lay on the floor amongst the carnage asleep, duck down sticking from his fair hair. V knelt beside him and smoothed the feathery locks back from his face, the bruising from his abuse the previous day standing stark and accusing on his cheek. It looked like it stung. All along his arms were more bites, self-inflicted.

Carefully, he lifted his boy and placed him on the bed, covering him with the shredded duvet. He would get better – it would just take some time, that was all. He was sick, and he needed help. This little perversion that had occurred happened because Eli still needed help, so V would get it for him as he had before.

Whatever Solid’s excuse was he didn’t know; he was probably just in it for the pleasure. It seemed to him like he wasn’t as sure as his brother of their…whatever it was, while they were talking. He probably saw how desperate and impressionable Eli was and took advantage. No matter, he would never see him again.

~

It was dark when Eli woke up. He stretched his arms out to feel David next to him, finding nothing but quilt stuffing and feathers. With a rush he remembered where he was – a prisoner. In the gloom he could see that the room had been tidied, and a painkiller and plastic cup of water had been placed by the bed. V had been in, then.

He wondered what David was doing. Was he missing him as much as Eli missed him? They had to get away from here, quick. Once he got out of the house he would have to hurry to Cadet Quarter for his brother before V noticed he had gone. _Would he even come with me, though? (‘I want to stay here’) Yes, of course he will. He just needed to seem like he was playing along._

Eli got up and tiptoed over to the door. _Locked. Of course._ With a bobby pin he could pick the lock, but he wasn’t allowed anything sharper than candyfloss, let alone a hairpin. Where would he even get one? He had already tried to loosen the boards over the window, with zero luck. They were on until Venom wanted them off.

He curled back up into bed, thinking and rethinking his escape plan. As he got to the front door in his imagination, his own door clicked and swung open. Eli pulled the covers over his head. Venom came in, relocking the door and flicking on the light.

“Eli?” he called softly.

“Go. Away. Now.” The blonde replied from under the duvet. Instead V walked further in, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“I brought you some food, you must be hungry.”

“ _Fuck off and die_.”

“I even got you some of that vile brown goop you like.”

“No! I’m not going to eat until you let me out of here!”

“Then I’ll just force it down your throat.”

“Then I’ll just throw it back up.”

“Then I’ll just feed you TPN.” The frustration was building rapidly.

“I’ll tear the IV out!”

“Not if I tie you down.” _Fuckyoufuckyoufuckyou!_ Eli kept quiet, hoping V would give up and leave. He didn’t, choosing to pull the covers back from Eli’s head instead. They were immediately snatched back up. “I know you’re upset about yesterday, but it will get better. Soon you’ll forget all about this mistake, I promise.”

 _Mistake? You don’t know what you’re talking about._ “It wasn’t a mistake.”

“Maybe you think that now, but -”

“-It wasn’t a mistake!” It was getting hard to breathe under the quilt. Venom put the plate of food on the floor and pet him through the covers soothingly.

“It’s alright baby, you’re just confused. I don’t know what Solid told you, but what you did was not ok – you’re brothers. Brothers can’t…do that sort of thing, it’s not right.” _How dare you lecture me about right and wrong!_

“I’m not confused, neither of us are!” the continuous shouting had made his voice hoarse.

“Calm down, just listen.”

“No, you’re not listening to _me_! I know people think it’s not right, -”

“-Eli, it’s _not_ right! -”

“- he didn’t trick me into it, and I’m not misled or mistaken or whatever!” His tired voice crackled, and he had to cough to clear it. “We’re in love!”

Venom was silent for a beat.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Look, you’ve got your food here, and I’ve given you a painkiller too. If you eat it and behave I’ll do something nice for you – I’ll bring in a TV, would you like that?” _Let me go!_

“ _Please_ , Dad! Let me out, I want to see David!”

“I can’t do that.”

“Please, I love him!”

“NO!” the sudden raised voice made Liquid jump. His father had an unpredictable temper. “You’re not going to see him again, so stop asking! And stop talking like that!” The blonde had inherited the same temper with none of the control. He felt like he needed to make Venom angrier, make him suffer. V had unwittingly revealed a weakness, so now he could use it against him. The quilt was pushed off so his father could see his face.

“What, can’t stand the fact that I’m gay? Or maybe you can’t stand the fact that I’ve grown up; you’re always babying me!” Venom was looking down at him with distain, unruffled. “I’m my own person, and you keep controlling me. It’s _suffocating_ me!”

“Perhaps if you acted like a responsible adult I would treat you like one.”

“I _am_ an adult, for fuck’s sake! What will it take to get you to understand that – do you want me to tell you what David and I did together, is that it?” V grimaced in disgust and leaned down to grab the plate. _A ‘no’, then._ “We’ve done more than you expect, father.”

“I don’t need to know, Eli.”

“I think you do. He’s touched me everywhere you can think of, and licked me and kissed me.” He wished Venom wasn’t facing away so he could see the horror he was causing. _More, I need to hurt him more!_ “He fucked me like I was a girl, and I _loved_ it!”

Like in the office, Venom moved so fast that Liquid couldn’t keep up; jamming his metal fingers in his mouth to keep his teeth apart. Then he dropped the pill between them, pouring in some water after it. Before Eli could spit it out, V removed his prosthetic to pinch his nose shut and used his flesh hand to clamp over his mouth.

The blonde snake struggled, scratching and pulling at the hands and kicking his feet wildly. As always, he couldn’t match his father’s strength. His vision started to spot and blur, stars swirling across his eyes as he spluttered and choked.

Eli still wouldn’t gulp, so Venom kept his airways closed with one hand and used the other to rub his son’s throat, causing him to swallow against his will. Once he was satisfied that the tablet had been ingested, he released him. Liquid gasped harshly and rolled away from his father, driving his fingers to the back of his mouth to bring the medicine back up.

Again he was restrained, his wrists held together and yanked away from him.

“You can say whatever you want, nothing is going to change. Tell me everything in great detail if you want, or tell me nothing. You can’t get your own way this time.” Eli fought against him, twisting and kicking and biting. “That pill wasn’t for the pain; but it will calm you down. I’m going to stay right here until that happens.”

After a few minutes Venom worried that the sedative was having no effect, even though it was a strong one. But eventually the screaming and fighting died away, and Eli lay there quiet yet awake. He was too doped to even push him away when V gathered him up and started stroking his hair. “Shh, it’s ok. I’m just trying to help you, baby.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V doesn't know what he's talking about, Marmite is fucking delicious!


	19. Soap and Needles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might change some of the chapter titles so they're not as repetitive and a bit easier for me to remember! :3

Solid regretted not running off with his twin when he had the chance, even if it meant forfeiting his place in FOXHOUND. There was no way he could stop seeing him, yet how was he supposed to get to him right under Big Boss’ nose? For all he knew Liquid could already have been shipped off, like Boss had threatened.

It killed him that he didn’t even know where Eli was, or how he was. He had thought about asking Miller, but he was still too ashamed to talk to him – plus it was like Master Miller was purposely avoiding being alone with him, not even so much as looking in his direction during training the next day. He didn’t really blame him. But if he could just tell him about Eli maybe he would be happy…No, that wouldn’t be enough.

His friends noticed something was wrong. They kept asking if he was feeling ok, and where Liquid had got to. He gave them vague ‘I’m ok, he’s out of town right now’ answers and lapsed back into a worried trance.

Leaving his brother behind had been a bad idea, as had disagreeing with him in a panic. He was right to do so; he had been correct in assuming they could do nothing against Big Boss, but he still felt like he had betrayed him. _What if he thinks I was lying about how I felt? I can’t even tell him I’m sorry…_

David thought about how he would even get to Eli. He had a rough idea of where Big Boss’ house was (Miller had mentioned it was close to the cabin once), but what would he do if he found it? The blonde had to be locked up somewhere, there was no way he would sit and stay there else. There was probably a basement he was being kept in.

Assuming he found the house, he would have to pick a time when Boss was away. Getting in was yet another problem. He could always pick the lock, but there was probably an alarm installed there; or security cameras! Detection would mean an immediate game over – Boss would know that he had tried to disobey him, even if he was unsuccessful.

If he even made it in he would still have to find Liquid, break him out and get as far away from Base as possible, all without anyone’s knowledge.

_Shit! No, there has to be a way. I can do it. A day when Boss is away: a weekday, so he’s in the office…The alarm will be a problem, but if he has a basement then there must be a little window into it. It will take him around 10 minutes or so to drive back from the Intel building if I set off an alarm, so I have to find a key or a tool to release Eli within that time (I’m guessing he’s chained or something, as cliché as it is)._

_There’s only one exit off Base – the main gate at the opposite end! I don’t know of any other places. It might take an hour just to reach it and sneak out, if we’re not hunted down first. And once we’re out, what then? Big Boss will search everywhere, we’ll have to live in the wilderness to get away and avoid detection. No doubt he’ll be monitoring every settlement in Alaska to find us._

_We’ll have no food or money…We’ll have operatives hounding us wherever we go…But at least we’ll be together. I can figure this out. There has to be a way!_

~

Eli’s mind stayed foggy as his father kept giving him the drugs. He was monitored closely while he was on them, V sitting in his room with him while he lay calmly on his newly repaired bedding. He wasn’t administered any that night, so he didn’t have to be under observation while Venom slept. Coming round from the strange haze meant he could go back to pitching a fit.

In the morning the new routine began again; Venom holding him down and making him swallow, keeping him still while it took effect.

“What’re you givin’ me…” he slurred as he started to relax.

“I asked the Medical team at Mother Base to make me something that could calm you down…well, I didn’t specify who it was for, but that doesn’t matter. Some kind of benzodiazepine mixture. Good stuff – it won’t hurt you at all. This is just while you keep misbehaving. Once I’m sure you’ll be good you can come off them.”

V moved Eli’s limp body onto his back, tucking the duvet around him. “They’ve given me a million ways to administer it, if you get tired of the tablets. Injections will work faster, but I don’t trust you around a needle just yet. Are you hungry?” he nodded toward a marmite sandwich left on the new bedside table. Liquid shook his head drowsily. “Do you want something else?” Another shake.

Now Eli felt very peaceful. His mind still worked (albeit a lot slower and happier), and his body was mostly unresponsive: he could still move his head, eyes and fingers slightly, but for the most part he was paralysed. The drug didn’t force him to sleep, so he could stay conscious for a few hours at a time. “Would you like to watch TV?”

“Yeah.” he whispered. Venom had acquired a spare television that could be wheeled into his son’s room while he was doped up to keep him entertained. All the tapes from the cabin had been brought over too. It was creepy the amount of preparation he had done in less than a day – in a matter of hours, even. When Big Boss asked for something he got it right away.

Since Liquid just shrugged subtly when asked what he wanted to watch, V put in a tape at random. It was Jaws. While the film was playing Venom settled down to do some more endless paperwork. Every now and then he would look up at the screen and chuckle when the shark appeared. When little Alex Kintner was killed he snorted and said:

“Should’ve listened to your mother!”

Every quarter of an hour Big Boss would check Eli’s pulse. The Medical team had given him equipment to monitor heart rate, respiration rate, temperature and blood pressure, but the equipment stayed in its box. Liquid was hardier than most men, being a snake.

Eli wasn’t paying much attention to the film. He let his mind wander aimlessly, thinking of nothing in particular. Although he was sedated he could still feel his body, and toward the big finish of the movie he became aware that he needed to use the toilet.

Since he couldn’t get up on his own he tried to call out to V. His words got stuck and tangled before they could leave his mouth. He tried again and still couldn’t speak. _Why…I could speak before, I…don’t get it._ Unable to prevent it, his full bladder released and the warm urine spread over his legs and onto the mattress beneath him.

Venom didn’t notice anything was amiss until he checked his pulse a few minutes later. Eli was trying to say something, but he couldn’t quite get it out. “What is it? Are you thirsty?” His father moved closer to hear his answer.

“…No…pee…” he murmured thickly.

“You have to pee? Alright, I’ll help you up.” Peeling back the duvet Venom discovered he was already too late. “Why didn’t you say anything before?...It’s ok, I’ll get you cleaned up.” The blonde was hoisted up and carried bridal-style to the en suite bathroom as though he weighed nothing at all.

Once propped up against the tub, Venom proceeded to strip off the wet pyjamas that he had given him to wear. Eli still couldn’t find his voice to express how uncomfortable he was with the whole situation. His father didn’t make anything of it, as though washing your twenty year old son was a normal routine. _It might be…if I don’t get away…_

He couldn’t even move to cover himself up in embarrassment. After turning on the shower and adjusting the temperature, V lifted Eli to lie in the tub. Whilst Boss was fetching a bar of soap from somewhere in the house Liquid tried desperately to work his limbs. All he could manage were a few rotations of his hands. It was like someone had switched his body off.

His mortification got worse when Venom started soaping him up. _This is so humiliating!_ He was rubbing quickly to get the task over with, but he was more careful around the cuts and bruises. The bite mark on his cheek from a few days ago was turning blue and yellow, joined by new ones on his face, neck and arms from the aggressive pill giving.

V hated to look at them. They weren’t the only marks on his body though – there were fading love bites along the insides of his thighs and lower belly. V refused to acknowledge those; they didn’t exist.

By some miracle his father had decided washing his genitals would be too much, and handed the soap over. V had to close his fingers around it for him, and guide his arm. “Say when you’re done…if you can. I’m going to make a call and change your bed, I won’t be long.”

Eli felt like throwing the bar after him, if he could. _This is wrong! I need to…go! I…I need…something. Right?_ He knew there was something he was forgetting. A side effect of Benzodiazepines can include the inability to form short-term memories. _What…?_ Pulling up blanks from the inky tangle of his mind, he busied himself with cleaning off.

A few minutes later Venom reappeared. “You done?” Eli gave a nod. “Good boy.” The soap was taken off of him, and V squirted some shampoo onto his damp hair and rubbed it in. Since the joints of his prosthetic caught hair sometimes he had learnt (after losing a few clumps) that keeping his bionic hand still was a good idea. “You were due for a wash, anyway.” he commented as he was rinsing the product out.

Drying him off proved as clumsy as cleaning and undressing him was. And redressing him.

Soon enough Liquid was tucked back into bed, kitted out in clean pyjamas and brushed hair. Some of his anger had returned when Venom was tugging roughly at his golden locks. _It’s like I’m some kind of…doll!_ It quickly died away when the brushing stopped and he forgot what he had been mad about.

~

Two more movies were played for him, although he was asleep during all the best bits. When he regained consciousness two hours after the end of _The Aristocats_ he was alone. He was still sluggish, but the drugs had all but worn off.

_Where’d V go? Shit, this isn’t good! There’s no way I can escape if I’m a vegetable! What am I going to do, I can’t fight him off…Ok, he’s probably getting more pills now. I’ll take them voluntarily and pretend to swallow. If I act like I’m all drugged up he’ll let his guard down; that’s my chance to run._

Just as he had formulated his plan his father returned, locking the door behind him. _Shit_. Judging by the way he was walking towards him, he was expecting resistance. So Eli gave none. Puzzled, Venom paused and sat on the bed. “Are you ok, baby? It’s time to give you more medicine.” _Medicine my ass, you liar! Soon you’ll get a taste of your own!_

“Okay.” he croaked, raising his hand to take the tablet. “I’ll be good now, Daddy. I know you want to help.” _Yourself, that is._

“Good boy. Open your mouth.” Eli did has he was told, letting V drop the pill in and feed him some water. Quickly and subtly he wedged the sedative between his cheek and teeth, hiding it. He gulped the water down, offering V a tired smile. His father smiled back and gave him a congratulatory pat on the chest.

“There. Now open your mouth for me.” _What?_

“Huh?”

“Open up.” _Shitshitshit._

“I-why? I took the medicine, isn’t that what you wanted? I’m being good!” He kept the smile up, hoping it would make him more convincing. Panicking liars didn’t grin, right? “Don’t you trust me Daddy?”

“If there’s nothing to hide then why are you hiding?” The fact that Venom was still smirking was unnerving. Eli opened his mouth obediently. V leaned forward to look in. “Hmph.” _Just a quick look – good, I’m still in the clear._

As it seemed like Venom was losing interest in the search he stuck his fingers into Liquid’s mouth, feeling around thoroughly. The pill was discovered, removed and held up condemningly. V’s superficial smile was dropped. “Looks like I was right not to trust you.” Eli felt himself freeze in alarm, heart skipping in fear. _Fuck!_ “It’s a shame, really, it is. Why can’t you just do as you’re told, for once in your life?”

His father got up and left without another word. He was at least expecting him to blow up or hit him – somehow this was more unsettling. _Now I’ll never get out of here! Fuck fuck FUCK, he’ll never let me out of his sight_! Suddenly Venom re-entered, still silent. He was emptyhanded.

 _Here comes the beating._ V moved over to where he was lying in a flash, climbing onto the bed and sitting on his chest. Eli’s arms were pinned under him, so he couldn’t struggle. From his back pocket Venom revealed a hypodermic needle.

“Wait – no, I’m sorry! Don’t give me any more, I’ll be good, really! I promise!” he pleaded, tears gathering and rolling down his face.

“You think turning on the water-works will change my mind? Sorry Els, not this time.” V used his bionic hand to hold Eli’s head still, jabbing the needle into his neck and depressing the plunger.

“Ow! No! You’re not _helping_ me; you’re _killing_ me!” Boss was unmoved.

“This will take effect a little quicker. And last longer.” The cap was put back on the syringe. “I made a request to a friend earlier. He’s going to help you get better.” Eli squirmed to the other end of the mattress to get away from his captor once he had clambered off.

“I don’t need their help. Stop doing this to me! I’m not sick!”

“Trust me, you’ll feel a lot better.”

“ _Fucking_ – do you have a screw loose?! Jesus bloody wept, you’re an absolute psychopath! You keep up this appearance of caring about me, but in the end you’re no different from my father! You don’t care about me, you only care about _yourself_ , what _you_ want. I don’t want to see you, or meet your fucking friend!”

Venom paid no mind to his ranting and sobbing. He was untouchable. “You’ve already met him.”

“Great! Go on then, who is it? Make my day, please!”

“Ocelot -”

“- Fucking marvellous, the third biggest _cunt_ on the planet, under you and father!” This time a ghost of a smile twitched at Venom’s lip. _Enjoying ourselves, are we?_

“I’m getting him to come here. Hypnotherapy is a specialty of his…believe me, I should know. If he can make a man into a Snake from scratch, then I’m sure he can help.” It was strange to hear him talking like this; he had never, ever acknowledged the fact that he and Liquid’s real father were separate entities.

“No way am I letting that freak play with my head!”

“I don’t think your head can get any _worse_.” Venom laughed at his offended expression. “He won’t be poking around too much, don’t worry. He’s just going to make you forget a few things. Namely, your little incestuous hiccup with Solid – he will be your acquaintance by the end, nothing more.”

“ _You can’t do that to me!_ ”

“I’ll get him to add your new hatred for me to the list. You’ll be my happy little boy again soon.” _THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING! I’M IN A NIGHTMARE, PLEASE WAKE UP!!!_ Eli started weeping, curling up and covering his face with his hands as the injection started to wash over him.

Venom scooped him up, aware that the drugs were paralysing him again. Eli was too numb to fight back, and not because of the sedative. “I love you baby ~”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of you are writers or fanartists, for the love of God please contribute to Soliquid! There needs to be more content! <3


	20. Trip to the Shrink

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out this awesome art that @kazahegao did for the fic!  
> http://kazahegao.tumblr.com/post/155687459987/a-scene-from-one-of-the-early-chapters-in  
> *heart eyes emoji because I don't know how to put one here*  
> Also how on Earth did some of you find me on Tumblr?

How long had it been since David had seen Eli? It can’t have been more than two weeks, yet it felt like centuries. His plan to break him out and run hadn’t become much more refined over that time. When he’d finally plucked up the courage to ask Miller how Eli was, he had only said that Solid should forget all about him. For both of their sakes.

_I can’t. I just can’t._

There wasn’t a single second where the blonde wasn’t on his mind, making it near impossible to concentrate on anything. Eli even turned up in his sleep. He dreamt about him constantly, as though his subconscious wanted him to suffer.

Masturbating had become an ordeal; unable to think about anything but Eli, he felt like absolute shit all the way through, and fought desperately not to cry after like some pathetic teenager with heartache. If he didn’t do something he would never touch Eli in that way again, speak to him or listen to him or even _look_ at him.

His sudden and severe deterioration in performance prompted a meeting between him and a few of his superiors, who referred him to an on-site FOXHOUND counsellor when he kept insisting nothing was wrong. It was mandatory.

The two storey building in which the counselling session took place was at the Medical Quarter, five minutes’ walk down the road from Cadet Quarter. Outside was plain, made from large brownstone bricks; inside was mostly clinic-style offices and storage for the physical medical records. It functioned more or less like a doctor’s surgery, obviously free of charge, for the trainees and staff.

He had never been to therapy before, he rarely even went to see a doctor since he was so fit. Counsellors were known to be patronising and mawkish, so he wasn’t looking forward to it. David wasn’t sure if he should be nervous or not. Most of all he was embarrassed.

There would be people milling in and out of the place, people who recognised him. Hopefully he would be more inconspicuous in his civvies: a pair of jeans and a khaki parka.

If they caught wind of the fact he was there to see a counsellor the rumours would spread like wildfire. They had a tendency to do that when he was involved. He could almost hear them already: ‘did you hear Snake had to see a psych doctor?’ ‘is that why he’s been acting so funny?’ ‘what’s wrong with him, then?’ ‘maybe he’s gone crazy!’.

There was still a lot of stigma surrounding mental health. Once, Solid could remember, a cadet from Dorm 4 codenamed Flying Armadillo had been sent to counselling sessions after having a nervous breakdown, and was known as ‘Mad ‘Madillo’ ever since.

The reception area had a few recruits lounging in the roughly upholstered waiting-room chairs, all younger than him. It was quiet, so he felt very self-conscious when he approached the receptionist’s window. A heavyset middle aged woman sat behind a computer on the other side of the sliding window, filling in a crossword stained with mug rings. Her bleached hair was tied back in a spotless bun, and she was wearing a flowery pencil skirt and blouse.

“…Uh, I’m here for my appointment at nine. It’s Solid Snake.” The lady looked up from her magazine, smiling brightly.

“Ok sweetie, let me just check the details for you!” Her manicured nails clacked away at the keyboard, giving the mouse a few clicks and wiggles for good measure. “Alright, you’re in Room 25 on the second floor – Doctor Benson. You can go up now, just knock on the door, ok?” _Thanks for telling the entire place._

“Thanks.” He said, heading out into the corridor. The room wasn’t difficult to find, the layout of the building was simple. His destination was a heavy wooden door, the numbers 2 5 fixed on above a currently empty nameplate slot. _Here goes nothing._ He knocked.

“Come in.” sounded from behind the door. David turned the knob and pushed it open, peeking in from behind it. “Ah, you must be Solid Snake. Please, come sit.” Dr Benson was a man in his late forties, bald and short and smartly dressed. The brunette placed himself on the chair Benson had gestured to, sitting rigid and tense. “You seem nervous. Are you?”

“Um, I guess…” he mumbled back. Benson smiled at his answer, flicking open a folder absently.

“Well, there’s nothing to worry about.” _Here comes the patronising._ “Let’s see …It says here that you were referred by officers at the Cadet Quarter – so you didn’t request the session yourself?”

“No.” _I was told I had to come here._

“Okay… the reason for referral is ‘a sudden and drastic change in performance and behaviour’. Hm. Do you mind if I read some of the finer details now?”

“No.”

“Good. Mm-hm…” He scanned the file for a minute, grey eyes flicking back and forth. “Right, then, Snake.” David jumped when he was addressed; he had been watching a Maneki-neko wave at him from the windowsill and zoned out. He had been thinking _I bet Eli would love one that gave people the finger as they walked by_. “Sounds to me like something’s up, even though this says that you keep denying it.”

David waited for him to carry on, unaware that the pause was his cue to speak. “…The sudden change indicates that something in particular set this off, some event that has upset you, maybe?” This time he knew Dr Benson was expecting him to answer, but he kept mute on purpose. “Everything you tell me here is strictly confidential; not a soul will know about what you choose to say. I won’t judge you for what you may say either, I’m completely impartial. Feel free to tell me anything at all, no matter how silly or embarrassing you think it is.”

He stayed silent. _Don’t make me talk about this. Just write me off for a day so I can leave already!_ The experienced James Benson saw exactly what he was doing and changed tactic. “If you carry on like this your training will be negatively affected. It already is, this session is to try and diagnose the problem so to speak, so that you can return to being your usual self…Eventually, if this continues, you may even have to be discharged from FOXHOUND, something I’m guessing you don’t want.”

“No.”

“You’re a good soldier, very good if your record is anything to go by. Obviously the title ‘Snake’ isn’t wasted on you.” The older man offered him a kind smile, but Solid was too busy studying his clasped hands on his lap to notice it. “There’s nothing bad at all about your progress or achievements here. Are you worried about a certain area of work you’re finding difficult?”

“No, that’s all ok.”

“Excellent, I expected so. You must have some friends here, yes?”

“Yeah, a few.”

“What are they like?”

“They’re ok.”

“Do you get along well with them?” _If I didn’t they wouldn’t be my friends – is that a trick question, or do you think I’m stupid?_

“Sure.”

“Good, that’s good. Interacting with people is important, something that you haven’t been doing much lately as evidenced by this ‘total social withdrawal’ in the file. Did you fall out with one of them?”

“No.” _These questions are so obvious a chimp could ask them. Maybe I should get a doctorate._

“Mm-hm. How are things at home?”

“…This is my home, I don’t have any family.” _Might as well stick to the story I’ve fed everyone else._

“Ah, ok. Do you have a girlfriend?” Something almost imperceptible flickered across Solid’s face, noted by the ever-observant Benson.

“No.”

“No? Did you have one recently, one who broke up with you?” Again the odd look, only for a split second. Anyone else wouldn’t have seen it at all. _Bingo_ the psychologist thought.

“No.” _No emotion, just get this over with._ But he wasn’t as apathetic enough.

“How about a boyfriend, then?” David whipped his head up from glaring at his feet, going red.

“No! Why would you think that!” he answered in a hurry.

“Just asking, just asking.” Benson assured him. “Yet, your exaggerated reaction to my questions about partners indicate that that is where the problem lies.”

“T-that’s just because you’re making me uncomfortable!”

“My apologies, that was not my intention. But why does the subject make you uncomfortable?” Solid felt like he was being worked into a corner.

“Because it’s personal, it’s none of your business!”

“Alright, I understand. But, you must appreciate that if we do not identify the problem then I cannot help. As I have said before, continuation of this uncharacteristic behaviour will result in undesirable consequences.” The brunette crossed his arms and went back to watching his bootlaces broodily.

 _Denial_ was the vibe that the doctor got from him. Plenty of cadets came to counselling worried about their sexuality, and many of them in denial were as agitated and evasive as Solid Snake. This had to be what the issue was. “Your superiors will not be notified of anything that occurs in this session, unless I believe you or anyone else may be in danger.”

The assurance of confidentiality didn’t move David to speech. “There is no need to worry about being discharged. You would not be the first young man to come here of a same-sex orientation.”

“I’m not – please, just stop it!” Solid got to his feet. “How many times do I have to say that I don’t need help? Just leave me alone!” he raced out of the room, blocking out the sound of Dr Benson calling after him. Taking the stairs three at a time, he breezed through a fire escape door at the back of the building and into the frigid morning air.

~

Solid set off immediately from the Medical Quarter, heading in the direction of Eli’s cabin.

_This can’t go on anymore. I should have gone to him after day one! No, before then. I should have disappeared with him. I should have been braver and tried to find him before now (If Boss finds out you’re a dead man)...I was too afraid what would happen to us if I did. I still am, but I can’t keep this up!_

He avoided going near the cabin in case it was being watched. Unlikely, but one could never be too careful. _Boss’ house must be around there somewhere. It must be pretty isolated, even inside a compound._

It took 45 minutes for him to reach the right Quarter, and another hour and 30 minutes of snooping around the wrong houses until he stumbled upon a likely candidate. The discovery was accidental: he had walked far into the trees to pee and seen light glinting off of a window pane through the prickly needles. He was about to turn back, expecting to end up in the next Quarter if he carried on down the wooded track.

 The place wasn’t particularly extravagant; it had the same architecture as all the other cabins on base, but much bigger with the bonus of some land around it. Also, it was hidden away from the road behind some pines. Who else’s place could this be? All the other staff accommodation was half a mile back down the road, with nowhere near as much privacy as this one.

 _This must be it! Eli must be in there! How am I going to approach this? I should go up from the rear of the house. Boss must be out, there’s no car here._ Sticking to the cover of the trees, he worked his way toward the back of the cabin, hyper alert and tense.

_It’s all over if I’m caught. I’ll be sent away, maybe even kicked out of FOXHOUND altogether (well, I’m leaving it behind anyway, but this way I’ll have Eli with me). Would Boss kill me for this? Possibly, I’ve never really been his son anyway. Failure is not an option for this mission. If I lose…no, I can’t. Eli’s depending on me. I need to do this._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been more drama than smut these last few chapters. I'm tempted to do a little something between Eli and Venom, but I dunno yet. Let me know if you think I should! <3


	21. Polaroids

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place a few days before the last one.

Liquid Snake was under his bed when Venom came in, scratching frantically at the wall. Once again he had spent the night unsedated while Venom slept.

“Eli, come out.” His scraping stopped when he heard his father, and he tucked his legs up under too. “Come on. I have something for you.”

“I don’t want it, go away!” _It’s just more drugs!_

“You don’t know what it is yet.” V knelt next to the bed and grabbed onto his ankles, dragging him out roughly.

“Go to hell!” the blonde cried. The carpet scraped him on his bare torso.

“Stop whining.” Eli crawled away, sitting against the wall. V had brought a duffel bag in with him instead of the usual water and tablets. "I think you'll like it." His curiosity piqued, Eli decided to play along.

“...Fine, what is it then.”

“Well, I have something I need you to do for me. If you do it, then I won’t sedate you today. I’ll get you some candy, too, anything you want.” _What the fuck is this all about_? It sounded tempting, but there was obviously some catch. Liquid eyed the bag warily. _What could it be? I_ do _want some sweets…_

“What is it?”

“If you do it, will you be good about it?”

“What is it then? I’m not agreeing until I know what you want.” Venom stuck a hand into the duffel, bringing out a brand new bulky Polaroid camera and placing it before him.

“I don’t have any pictures of you at this age.” _Pictures?_

“…So you just want to take my picture?”

“Yes.” _That’s it? Ha! Day of motor control and chocolate, here I come!_ He paused, pretending he was mulling it over.

“Err…I _suppose_ that will be ok. If I get _two_ days without the pills.”

“No, baby,” Venom chuckled, “But I can bring the TV if you like. Or some music, I can get you some cassettes.” _Sweet, it’s getting boring in here._

“Fine. Just take the picture, already.” He quickly straightened his hair up while his father turned back to the bag. No reason for the pic to be bad. “Ok, I’m ready.”

“No you’re not. You need to be dressed nice, don’t you?” Currently he was only in his PJ bottoms.

“Is this a professional shoot now? This isn’t one for the mantelpiece, get it over with!”

“You’re not the one calling the shots here. If you don’t do this like a good boy, then the deal is off, and you can go back to being drugged for today.” V’s voice was unnecessarily harsh. “Maybe I’ll give you a small dose, so you’ll do this nicely.” Eli blanched, seeing Venom’s dissatisfaction. All he needed to do was satisfy him, then.

“No! I’ll do it, I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry what?” _You bastard!_ The blonde quelled his indignation. He didn’t fancy getting the shit kicked out of him again, if he could help it. V was definitely getting more violent and commanding.

“I’m sorry _Daddy_.”

“Good boy.” V offered, turning once again to the duffel bag. “Put these on.” he flung some folded clothes at Eli. The pile was snatched up, and Eli was about to start pulling stuff on when he noticed something off about it. _Why is it…?_ He held up a few items, feeling a cold sweat of panic rising up his spine… _Is this some kind of joke? He can’t be serious!_ “Well?”

“I-I’m not dressing in this, are you crazy! W-why would you want me to do this?”

“I want you to look cute for the picture.”

“WHAT! No, no way! I take it back, I don’t want to do this anymore!” Eli flicked the pile away.

“Eli.” Venom’s expression darkened.

“I don’t care if you beat me, I’m not doing it!”

“Beat _you?_ No, not you. If you don’t get dressed I’ll beat Solid instead.”

Liquid felt like he had been pushed off a cliff.

“You can’t! -”

“- Yes, I can. I think we’re overdue a little training session, actually. It would be a shame if he broke something – he could be out of training for a while…Maybe I could bring you a couple teeth as a souvenir.”

“Why are you doing this to me?!”

“I should find my shock arm, add a _buzz_ to it.” V was smirking at him dangerously. _He’s really going to do it!_

“No! No, I’ll–I’ll do it, just _please_ don’t hurt David!” Eli reached for the clothes again to show his sincerity. Venom’s face dissolved back into its usual disinterest and he sat on the floor to lounge against the bedframe casually.

“Alright then.” Eli bowed his head, searching the garments. _Which one should I put on first?...This one_. He picked up the clean white school blouse, putting his arms in shyly. His broad shoulders pulled slightly at the fabric once it had been buttoned up. Next came the slate grey cardigan. _Now…_

“Turn around.”

“It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.” V’s tone was threatening. Eli relented, picturing the state David would be in if he didn’t obey. Broken bones, missing teeth, plaster casts and crutches. He'd seen what his father could do.  _I won’t let that happen._ Hesitantly he pushed down his pyjamas, bending his legs to hide himself. “Go on.” Venom urged when the blonde paused.

 _The quicker I do this, the sooner this is over_. He picked up the grey pleated skirt and hoisted it slowly up to his waist, zipping it. _It all fits…he planned this, the sick bastard!_ “All of it, please.” The next item was a pair of white cotton panties. Eli’s face was flaming red as he pulled them on. He didn’t dare look at Venom, who was watching him with a crushing intensity.

Then came grey thigh high socks that ended a few inches below the short skirt, exposing some skin. “Do you know how to tie it?” V indicated to the red and grey striped necktie. Liquid shook his head. “Come here, I’ll do it for you.” Eli moved to sit before him, facing away. He could feel V’s breath in his ear as the tie was fastened neatly.

Once it was done he tried to crawl away, only to be stopped by a strong hand on his shoulder. “Ah-ah-ah. Not just yet.” Venom pulled him back, taking a brush from the bag and dragging it through his hair. When the tangles were gone and it was shining he still didn’t stop, separating it into two parts. “Just a little longer, baby. You’re being such a good boy.”

The sections were tied back into wavy pigtails, secured by red bows. His unruly bangs slipped out of it, cowslick flicking up.

“Are you done now?” Eli mumbled. Venom got a look at his face.

“Hm. One more thing. Look at me.” The blonde turned his head sheepishly, keeping his eyes on the carpet. Boss held his jaw with his hand, jerking him to face him properly. “Don’t move.” he warned, unscrewing something out of sight with his other hand. _What are you doing?_

V squeezed Eli’s cheeks to make him pout, bringing a doe foot up to smear peach pink gloss over his lips. He made a noise in protest, but V shushed him. When he was released, Liquid tried to hide his face in shame. “All done. Go sit over there for the picture.” Venom gestured back to the wall.

Eli followed his direction, folding his legs beside him. “Head up, baby. And don’t scowl so much.” He wasn’t scowling as much as he could; his expression was more timid and miserable. _At least he’s not asking me to smile_. The flash snapped on the camera, and it made a droning noise as it developed and reloaded. After a little wait the polaroid was ejected, and V waved it in the air to dry it.  

The image faded into being, receiving a quick inspection.

“Can I change, now?”

“Not yet baby. You look so cute like this, it would be a shame if you changed.”

“But you said -”

“- That I want some pictures. Don’t start playing up after behaving so well.” The menacing smile had returned. Eli felt strangely afraid, although he wasn’t sure why. _Something’s wrong_. The primal part of his mind could sense it.

The flash clicked again, and again a photograph was created. “You’re so adorable in these. Look at the camera, baby.” Another snapshot was taken when he raised his eyes. “That suits you, yaknow. Lift your skirt up.”

“W-what -”

“- Are you disobeying me?” V’s pale gaze pierced right through him.

“I don’t want to do this anymore!” Eli pressed against the wall, wanting to sink through it.

“Don’t be frightened, baby, it’s ok.” His father’s voice had got gentle, as if he were comforting a child.

“I don’t like this, I want to stop now!”

“If you stop before you do as I’ve asked then you won’t get your reward. I’ll pay Solid a visit – you don’t want that, do you?” Liquid shook his head, tearing up. “Don’t cry, baby. Do as I said.” He pulled up the end of his skirt obediently, blushing crimson. Still Venom wasn’t satisfied. “Spread your legs, they’re in the way.” Eli didn't move. “Would you rather the punishment?” _Broken bones, missing teeth…_ He parted his legs, knees bent. “That’s it, good boy.” Another picture was taken. _Why is this happening to me?_ “Now put your hand in your panties and play with yourself.”

“I don’t want to…this isn’t fair!”

“Do I need to force you?” _(You have do it or else!) I can’t!_ Shaking, he lowered his hand and squirmed his fingers under the waistband. “ _More_.” He started rubbing himself slowly, already getting hard. Desperately he tried to focus anywhere but where V was staring at him.

 _I can’t believe he’s watching me do this, dressed like a little schoolgirl!_ His gut twisted hotly as his arousal steadily increased. _This is so wrong!_ “Does that feel nice, baby?” Venom’s deep voice vibrated through Liquid like a gong.

“…Yes.” he whispered breathily.

“Yes?”

“Yes, Daddy.” The burst and whine of the Polaroid went off again.

“You’re starting to make a mess, your underwear’s all wet. Take them off.” Liquid peeled the panties from his body, dropping them blindly on the floor. “Spread your legs again.” _I’m sure I had a wet dream like this before._ In no time at all Eli was completely worked up, sweating and gasping and leaking.

 _If David could see me he’d be so upset…_ He faltered at the thought of his brother, feeling the previous fortnight’s depression take hold of him again. _Please forgive me! I’m doing this for you!_ “No stopping.” V grumbled at his change of pace.

His pumping was starting to squelch as the precome slicked him up. Having Boss watch him was exciting, even if Eli would rather die than admit it to himself. It made everything that much more intense. He felt like he was getting a glimpse of his real father, the way Venom had been hurting him and ordering him around.

Eli risked a peek at Venom, who was regarding him coolly. _He’s still watching, but he doesn’t look like he’s that bothered._ It was oddly…disappointing that he wasn’t putting on a good enough show. Liquid loved to impress, yet he didn’t expect to want to impress here. _Not good enough for you either, am I? You’re wrong, I’m exactly what you want!_ Maybe it was time to step up his game.

“Daddy…” he whimpered, arching his back to make his performance more titillating. He needed to prove that Venom wanted him, _needed_ him; he wanted V to be proud, even of something like this. The camera _clacked_.

“Alright, that’s enough now.” _What?_ The younger snake came to a halt.

“Did-did you not like it?” Eli inquired, crestfallen, as his father shook out another picture. No reply. “I can do better!” _Please, I_ am _good enough!_ V put the snapshot on the growing pile, beckoning Liquid with a crook of his finger. The blonde slithered over to him on his hands and knees expectantly. V twirled one of the golden bunches around his finger.

“I did like it, but I think we can get a better picture.” _Like a close up?_ Venom got to his knees and unbuckled his belt, fishing himself out of his underwear. He wasn’t even that hard, much to his son’s dismay. _So much for my performance._ His dark pubic hair was just starting to go grey, like the rest of him.

The hand that had been twisting the pigtail pressed insistently at the back of Eli’s head, urging him forward. “If you dare bite me I’ll shatter your brother’s jaw.” V warned. Eli let himself be guided, opening his mouth to accommodate the impressive member. He leaned his weight on one hand, wrapping the other around the base.

To start with, he swirled his tongue around it lazily to make it erect. He pulled the silky skin back from the head and built a rhythm, which was soon interrupted. “You can do better than that, can’t you baby?” _Yes!_ Liquid took more of him in; a difficult task now that he was hard. “Is that it?” _Don’t say that, I’m really trying_!

Suddenly his head was jerked forward, forcing the entire cock down his throat. Eli pulled off immediately, coughing and retching. Luckily he didn’t vomit. “C’mon, try again. You’re such a good boy.” The praise made him swell with pride, grinning at his saliva on the floor. _I can do it, no sweat._

His second attempt wasn’t more promising, he could only get half way before he needed to gag. “Relax your throat more. Tilt your head like this,” Venom lifted Eli’s chin slightly, “it’ll be easier.” Again he drove forward, taking V’s advice.

There was about an inch of progress, but it still wasn’t enough. V thrust all the way into his mouth abruptly, holding his head in place against the hair at the base of his penis. Eli struggled against the hold, needing to take a breath. Venom only let him go when he was whining pitifully around him.

The process was repeated until the blonde could bob over him without the forceful assistance. On each pull back he breathed heavily through his nose while his airway was unobstructed. Every now and then he stopped for a few deep lungful’s before carrying on. He was a quick learner.

V’s panting made him hot, his still-hard cock aching under the skirt. Since both of his hands were freed up he could use one to continue masturbating himself. “Look at me, baby.” Eli raised his eyes that had previously been closed during his efforts, giving V his most practiced puppy-dog eyes. They had always been excellent at getting him what he wanted, because Venom thought they were adorable. “Yeah, stay like that.” The camera was lined up, flashing and whirring.

Liquid got a brief break while the picture developed, but he got back to work as soon as it was added to the pile. He kept his green eyes glued to the older snake, tears of effort wetting his cheeks. “You have such a pretty face.” Boss played absently with another pigtail. “You’re touching yourself. Do you like this?” Eli shuddered and hummed:

“Mm-hmm.”

“Do you like sucking Daddy’s cock, baby?” This time Eli moaned, squeezing his eyes shut against the shock of pleasure it gave him.

“Mm-hmm!” Venom chuckled.

“You’re so dirty! Anyone would think this is a dream come true for you.” Liquid kept moaning constantly, speeding his hand up as he approached his climax. Saliva dribbled down his chin as he kept up his sucking – swallowing didn’t help to keep it in, but V certainly seemed to like it. “You’re in big trouble if you cum.” his father commented, noting his frantic jerking and slurping.

Eli’s hand came to a skidding to a halt just in time, leaving him twitching and throbbing needily. Venom pushed him away gracelessly, letting the blonde land on his butt with a thump. His erection tented the pleated skirt. “Get on your hands and knees.” Liquid balked, guessing what would come next. “You told me that you loved it. Were you lying?”

“No…”

“Then do as I say.” There was no room for argument. He flipped over, watching Boss lube up his fingers over his shoulder. There had been lube in the bag too, then. V folded the skirt up over his back and pressed two thick digits in at once, making Liquid whimper. The prep was more rushed, and more rough, than he was used too; but the treatment added to the whole experience.

As the fingers were removed he had a second to think _I’m sorry, David_ before he was entered in one hard thrust.

“Ah!” He wasn’t given any time to adjust to the intrusion, as Venom began slamming into him rapidly. Hands on his hips kept him in place, one hot and one cold.

“Don’t you dare touch yourself.” V grunted behind him. Liquid felt him jabbing against the sweet spot inside him, making him dizzy. Very quickly the sensation built up into ecstasy.  

“Ah ah, yes! Ah!”

“Do you like it when I fuck you baby?”

“Ah, _yes_ Daddy, _yes!_ ”

“Beg me for it.” Venom brought his flesh palm down hard on Eli’s ass, leaving a red print on the smooth skin.

“Ah!”

“ _Beg_ for it!”

“Please, I want it!”

“Want what?” he slapped him again. It make such a satisfying sound, as did Eli’s cheeks as they smacked against his hips.

“Ah! I want you to fuck me, Daddy! _Please_ , it feels so good!” Liquid cried shamelessly. Each thrust sent bolts of pleasure through him, bring him close.

“Beg for my cock, baby!” he twisted and tightened the stripey tie around Eli's neck, making him splutter.

“I need your cock, give it to me! _Daddy!_ ” his words were slightly garbled when he was slammed back onto Venom. Before he could receive another order he came, yelling stridently. V let him ride it out, keeping hold while he rocked back steadily to take him all in. His semen splattered onto the front of the skirt and onto the carpet. Once the clenching stopped Boss pulled out.

“Stay still.” he bid as he took yet another photo, this time of Eli’s ass. The blonde muttered something. “What was that?” V asked in a ‘if that was an insult you’re in so much trouble’ voice.

“Did…did I do good?” Eli repeated. His flushed face peered at him from between his legs sheepishly.

“Nearly. There’s just one more thing…Sit up.” Liquid obeyed, turning toward him. Venom stood to jerk himself off, looking down at Eli’s lolling tongue and puppy eyes. He came with a groan onto his face, making sure to get it all over him.

Eli was plastered, barely any landing in his offered mouth. Most of it had streaked across his cheeks and nose, clinging to his sweat-damp hair. “Look at me, baby.” He opened his eyes cautiously, so as not to get anything in them. Venom snapped one last picture. “Perfect.”


	22. Bloodhounds

It was silent as Solid crept up to the house, as if the world were holding its breath. His expert footsteps whispered through the grass, pillowed by the powdered snow. If it had been hard-packed then it would have been another story. 

He could hear his pulse roaring in his ears by the time he reached the steps to the rear veranda. Since the ‘mission’ was impromptu he had not brought anything useful – nothing to pick locks, camouflage or defend himself with. All he had on him were his clothes and a nickel he had found on the floor.

 _So far no sign of a basement…I’ll have to go into the house_. There was a window that looked out onto the veranda, so he shimmied over to it and raised his head very slowly to peer through. Inside was a simple kitchen with a dining table. It didn’t give many clues as to whether or not anyone was home. He pressed against the pane and tried to lift it, hoping it was unlocked.

No such luck. _If it comes down to it, I can smash a window. Or break the glass on the back door and use the handle._ Solid didn’t fancy glass in his hand, so he would have to use a rock. _There’ll be some back in the trees…Might as well try the door anyway._ He twisted the handle and the mechanism clicked, swinging the door open with a faint creak. _It was open? Would Boss have left it unlocked?_

Stepping inside his anxiety grew. Now he was really in the danger zone, right in the dragon’s lair. Out of habit he wiped his shoes on the mat. _This place looks so…normal. Not sure what I was expecting – maybe a dungeon full of booby-traps!_

He tiptoed around to the next room: a living room with a TV, two sofas and a fireplace. _Still so normal._ There were no decorations, as though it were pre-furnished for new buyers. _I can’t believe I’m actually in Big Boss’ house! Well, I think it is anyway. I need to be quick._

The living room led to the main hallway, which in turn led to the front door and the rest of the house. _The layout is really different than Eli’s cabin._ Turning left away from the front door, he carried on down the corridor. _What’s behind door number one?_ David bent down to look through the keyhole, but couldn’t see anything but wall and floor.

Very carefully he turned the knob, wincing when it ticked and scraped from the doorframe. _Woah, this is more like it._ Piled high against the walls were weapon cases, crates of ammunition, boxes of silencers and magazines and hand grenades.

Guns of all shapes, sizes and calibre had been placed on special hooks on the walls. Nestled between an RPG case and a supply box were odd mechanical parts, like pieces of a disassembled robot. Solid was in awe; he had never seen such an expensive and top-notch armoury before. _This is all the best shit there is! He’s so lucky, look at it all! (Focus, I have to find Eli!)_

Closing the treasure trove reluctantly, he continued the search. _Door number two?_ Behind this one was a bathroom, so pristine clean it seemed unused. _Where does he get the time to clean? Nah, he must get someone to do it for him._ Door three held an airing cupboard and immersion heater tank.

He turned to the fourth stop, rattling the handle. It was locked. _Hmm. Guess I’ll find a key once I’ve checked the other rooms_. Next came the study, arranged neatly. It was similar to Boss’ office at the Intel building, complete with the leather chair and dark wooden desk.

Last came the master bedroom, again undecorated and plain. There was a double bed, a wardrobe and a bedside table. The lack of character made David feel it was more like a showroom than a house.

Coming back to the locked door, he felt along the top of the frame for a key. Nothing but dust. _Ok, what now? Kitchen_. He snuck back through the cabin to the kitchen, sliding out all the draws and fishing through the cutlery and miscellaneous tools. _Literally everything but what I’m looking for, typical. OK, what now?...Study?_

The desk in the study had one cupboard fixed into it, jammed with files and paper. _Nothing here, either._ Just as he was about to leave, a cigar tin left next to the reading lamp caught his attention. _I thought Boss used that metal thing, why does he have that there?_ It was made of polished metal with a strange emblem stencilled on the lid: a winged skull and the words ‘OUTER HEAVEN’.

 _‘Outer heaven’? Is that like a band or something_? He flipped open the lid, finding a brass key and a cassette tape. _Jackpot! I should become a detective._ He grabbed the key, pocketing the tape at the same time. It was labelled ‘Ouroboros’; written in pen, so it couldn’t have been store bought pre-recorded. _I wonder what’s on it._

He returned to the locked room, properly equipped. The key worked, and the door finally opened. Inside the window had been covered, keeping it in darkness. From what he could make out it was another bedroom, nowhere near as tidy as the rest of the house. The walls looked like they had been bashed by someone wielding a morning star, and the bedsheets were crumpled. _Wait, there’s someone on the bed!_

David edged closer for a better look in the low light. The duvet was pulled up so high he had to tug it down cautiously to see their face.

“Eli!” he cried upon recognition, diving in to press him into a suffocatingly tight hug. It was feverishly warm under the covers. “Oh God, Eli! I’ve found you, I’m so sorry I didn’t come sooner!” The blonde’s lack of reciprocation didn’t strike him as odd, he had just woke him up after all. “I’ve missed you so much.” he loosened his grip enough to kiss him, mouthing desperately.

Now the zero reaction was worrying, and David let go. “Eli? What’s wrong?” Liquid was awake, watching him past heavy lids. David shook him. “ _Eli_.” The response was nothing more than a hoarse croak. “What’s the matter?” _He must be drugged!_ Another wheeze. He lowered his ear closer to make it out.

“…He…”

“Huh?”

“Boss…home...no time.” A crushing panic washed back over David as the words were formed. _No time!_ The duvet was ripped off, and he scooped his limp twin up. _No time._ Liquid was wearing some thin pyjamas. If they were leaving base right away he would freeze.

 _Clothes – there are no clothes in here!_ David lay him on the floor, dashing away to the master bedroom. Once at the wardrobe he tore shirts and trousers from their hangers, not caring if he made a mess. He chose a plain t-shirt from the crumpled pile. _Socks too, shoes, pants!_ In the top drawer he found the outfit Eli had been wearing when they last saw each other in Boss’ office, all cleaned and folded. His boots were tucked next to a small crate. _Luck must be on my side today. Just don’t run out._

He stripped the PJs from Eli’s limp body, manoeuvring him clumsily into the clothes. There were bruises all over him; on his face, neck, arms, hips and thighs. _What has he been doing to you?_ Putting the boots on for him was the most fiddly one. Eli was lifted once more, head hanging nervelessly.

David was worried about not being able to locate a coat. His twin had a navy blue fleece as his only protection against the cold. But, there was no need for a coat if they were caught before they got away. Heat wasn’t the priority. _Worry about it later, there’s no time!_

The brunette made his way back to the kitchen, careful not to whack Liquid’s head against anything as he went. As soon as he was out, he ran to the cover of the trees. _I’ve got him! But we still have to get off Base...that could take more than an hour if I have to carry him. He said there was no time, so Boss might discover that he’s missing before we’re away._ David kept his pace at a fast walk, not wanting to tire out too soon. _We’ll have people looking for us._

He kept away from any buildings or roads, following the way out from behind the pines. Solid had readjusted his arm to cradle Eli’s head better, instead of letting it hang. Every few seconds he looked down to check on him. Eli was gazing up at him sleepily, fading in and out of consciousness.

The snowy woods seemed surreal as he trudged along. Sunlight was blotted and distorted, and it was eerily quiet. Focusing on the task at hand helped to distract him from thinking too much about what they would do next.

Around the thirty minute mark David’s arms started to ache. _You’re such a lump! Why are you so heavy?_ The dead weight burnt his muscles, but he didn’t dare stop for a rest.

“Eli.” he whispered, bouncing the blonde awake. Liquid opened his eyes laboriously. “You ok?” Liquid nodded slowly, managing a little smile. “Good. We’re getting out of here.”

As they neared the next Quarter it was becoming increasingly difficult to hide. The trees had been cleared to make room for buildings, training apparatus and sport tracks, so there wasn’t much by the way of cover. They couldn’t go around either; they had to go through Cadet Quarter to reach the exit.

David stopped before going out into the open, placing Eli on the hard ground. “We’ll draw too much attention if I’m carrying you. Can you walk?”

“…Yeah, I think so.” Eli pushed up to sit shakily, taking his twin’s hand to be hauled to his feet. His legs gave out at once and David caught him, looping Eli’s arm around his neck and holding his waist. He was effectively still carrying him, but this way was ever so slightly less suspicious. The first few steps were tricky as Eli was dragging his feet, still wobbly because of the drugs. David sped up anyway. _We need to hurry up._

Seeing other people was nerve-wracking, even if they weren’t close up. They stuck behind the buildings as much as they could to avoid being seen. The emergence of people coincided with the emergence of the first signs of trouble. A low droning that had been unnoticed became the beat of helicopter blades, flying low over the compound. _Shit! They must be looking for us, choppers aren’t flown here on Mondays._

Somewhere to his left people were calling to each other excitedly. David looked over to make sure they hadn’t been spotted. They hadn’t, but what he saw made his blood run cold nonetheless. About 100 metres away a group of operatives were standing together. One of them held four restless bloodhounds on leashes, tugging them irritably when they got too rowdy. _No, no, fuck! Those aren’t trainees, Boss must know we’re missing!_

The mercenaries were standing idle, waiting for more orders. They were armed with tasers and dart guns. “Uh-oh!” Eli mumbled when he caught sight of them. “That for us?”

“Yeah. Just keep walking, we’re nearly there.” Each time one of the hounds barked the twins jumped, stumbling to speed up slightly.

“We’re going to get caught!” The adrenaline was gradually fighting off the sedative, but the rush was also making him spooked.

“No we’re not.”

“I feel sick!”

“Please keep walking, we’re alright. Don’t be sick, we’re alright, I promise.” Eli staggered, barely held up by his brother.

“He’s going to kill you! He’ll make sure you suffer!”

“ _Fucking shut up!_ ” he hissed. “Stop it, now! We can do it, so stop freaking out.” David felt like _he_ was the one having a panic attack. What Eli had said was true, he would die if they were caught. Or get tortured. Boss would be livid. _Probably both, which is why we need to be quiet._

A helicopter buzzed overhead, getting louder as it approached. They hugged a wall as it drifted over them, scanning the ground like a buzzard. _Almost there._ Turning the corner of a storage shed brought them within sight of the main gate. “SHIT!”

The thick iron bars had been bolted shut, and the usual guards had been joined by half a dozen operatives.

“No!” Eli fell, letting his legs go slack.

“Get up, get up.”

“The gate is locked, there’s no way out!”

“Don’t sit down yet, we need to get out of sight…” _Where, where?_ “The gym, we can hide in the trees outside.” _No one will be there this time of day._ He lifted Eli to his feet, dragging him along until he decided to use his legs again. During the quick walk they didn’t encounter anyone else. _Base must be in lockdown, everyone will be inside._

Settling down under the spruces there had an air of finality to it. They were trapped, the hounds would find them easily there. It was just a matter of time until they were discovered. The snakes held onto each other as they waited.

“David, thank you for coming to find me. Again.”

“That’s ok. Again.”

“…It was kind of a stupid thing to do, though.” They laughed tiredly. “We’re being hunted like animals.”

“I’m glad I did.”

“Me too.” A gust of wind cut through the wintry stillness, shaking snow and needles from the trees. Eli was freezing, although he barely noticed it. “I…think this is the last time we’ll see each other.” his voice was thick and hushed.

“…Yeah.”

“I wish I’d locked the fucking door when Kaz saw us.”

“It doesn’t matter now.” A wren landed in the snow nearby, hopping aimlessly and darting away. _Silly bird. You don’t have to worry about shit like this. Just cats and seeds…do you want to switch places?_ The little bird didn’t hear his thoughts. It trilled sweetly and pecked at a blade of grass poking through the powder. _You might be one of the last nice things I see._ “What do you think happens when you die?”

“Do you want the truth, or reassurance?” _Thanks Eli._ “I don’t know. There’s only one way to find out.”

“Do you believe in God?”

“No.”

“Me neither. Kinda wish I did though. It must make it…easier, if you think you’re going someplace better. I’d be going to Hell though.” he snorted dryly.

“Maybe you’ll get off easy. Are you afraid?”

“Kinda.” The wren grabbed a pine needle in its slender beak and took off. “It’s strange for someone in my line of work to be afraid of dying. I didn’t think I was, really...If there is an afterlife, I’ll wait for you.” Eli shook with the effort of trying to contain his sobs. David clung to him tighter, feeling the tears already start to freeze on his own face. “We can make friends with Satan.” Eli didn’t laugh.

“Do you have a gun?”

“I don’t think we can shoot our way outta this one.”

“Not for them. I don’t want to do this without you…I _can’t._ The last big ‘fuck you’ we can give our father is our refusal to die on his terms.”

“No, I don’t have one. Please don’t kill yourself after...all this.”

“You’re not the boss of me.”

“You wouldn’t listen even if I was.”

“Driving people crazy is my specialty.” David smiled, kissing the top of Eli’s head where he was nestled up to the furry hood of his coat. “People call me the asylum Ferrari.” _More like ‘you need to drive to the asylum’._ Suddenly David shot to his feet, knocking Eli over. “The fuck -”

“ _Shit_ , I’ve got an idea! Get up, I’ve got an idea!” The blonde struggled up, lost.

“What?” The brunette pulled his brother back toward the gym where the Jeep was normally parked.

“The car! Miller’s car! There’s no way he’s staying here for lockdown. If we can get in the trunk, he’ll drive us away!” It took a few seconds for the plan to sink in before Eli started cackling.

“That’s brilliant!”

The Jeep was in dire need of a wash, but it shone like a beacon of hope for the twins. “Looks a bit tight, doesn’t it?”

“We’ll make do.” Solid tried the door. “Locked. Do you have a wire?”

“No, I left my secret agent gear back at the house.”

“Great. Wait – there’s chicken wire in my contraband shed!” he took off, sprinting away across the gravel and calling ‘stay here!’ over his shoulder. Eli couldn’t run after him anyway; the sedative was wearing off, but it was still effective.  

He returned three minutes later, holding up a crudely cut length of thin wire in triumph. At the end he fashioned a loop and fed it carefully through the top of the car window. It took a lot of manipulation and re-straightening of the wire until the loop lined up with the manual lock. Liquid growled in frustration each time the loop slipped. “Go stand over there, you’re distracting me.”

The blonde floated away, kicking up gravel with his feet. Solid was about to tell him he was still being distracting when his pulling arm met resistance and the door lock clicked. They both cheered and piled in, making sure to take the wire and relock it behind them.

It was a very tight fit once they had climbed over the back seats into the boot. Since it was too narrow and too short they had to lie on top on one another, curled up. DD’s tatty dog blanket was draped over them to hide them better.

“Cosy.” Liquid murmured after a minute of silence. “How long do we have to stay like this?”

“Shh. No idea.” Liquid squirmed, attempting to face his brother. His mood had lifted considerably from several minutes ago.

“I love you.” he tilted his head to plant a kiss on his lips. “I thought about you constantly.”

“Me too. To both of those things.”

“I’ve missed your kisses.” he leaned in again, using his tongue to push into the other’s mouth. David did the same, moaning softly. “I’ve missed your voice.” Very quickly the boot was heating up. “I’ve missed your body.” Eli slid his hands under his winter clothing, pressing on the bare skin of his stomach.

“Eli…”

“I’ve missed the way it feels when you touch me.”

“We can’t…do this…in here.” David whispered between kisses. Eli ignored him, searching blindly for the button on his jeans. “We need to be still. We need to be qui- _ah!_ ” his clone’s hand found its way down past his underwear.

“What was that, dear brother?” The thick layers were beginning to stifle him.

“You’re impossible!” Eli chuckled and bent to nibble at his ear, pumping a closed fist over his rapidly growing cock.

“Mmhh ~” he freed both of them from their boxers, squeezing them together. “Aahhh…I’ve missed this too…”

“Eli!” David fumbled with the zip of his parka, letting some colder air in. The blonde saw an opportunity and pushed the other layers up, dipping to lick around his nipple. “Ahh, yeah.” Their precome dribbled onto his belly, flowing into the navel.  

“Do you like that, daddy?” David snorted.

“I thought I told you to stop calling me that.”

“And I thought I told you I wouldn’t.” Eli sunk his teeth gently around the nipple he had been sucking, moving on to the next one. “Play along with me? Please?” David recalled that his twin thought the weird name-calling was hot, so he decided to humour him. Plus, there was a possibility he would stop jerking them off if he didn’t get his own way.

“Fine.” He could feel Eli’s grin against his chest. _What should I say? I’m better at this when I’m drunk!_ Not wanting to embarrass himself, he waited for the other to speak first. Luckily Eli caught on.

“How do I feel, daddy?”

“Real good, baby.” Eli hummed happily, trailing up to suck at his collarbone. They were both moaning so loud David was sure they could be heard from outside. His technique of thumbing at the head was employed by the fair-haired snake, who had learnt it from him in the first place. 

“Mmh, I’m so close already!” he picked up the pace, gliding smoothly over their shafts. “I love stroking your thick cock, daddy.” David shuddered. _Were you this dirty before?_

“ _Fuck_ , that’s hot.”

“Yes, I’m gonna cum!”

“No you’re not.” The hand tugging quickly at them was intoxicating; he didn’t want it to stop, even for a second. “Just a little longer.”

“Ok.” Eli breathed into his neck. Immediately the holding back was torture and he wriggled impatiently, gasping and whining. He was leaking a flood onto David as his body got ready to ejaculate. “I can’t wait anymore!”

“Just a little longer, baby.” The sound Eli was making brought him close to the edge. _Keep making those noises!_

“Aahh! Let me cum, daddy; I can’t wait!” he felt himself pass the point of no return, trying futilely to stop it. “No-hahAAAH!” Eli spilt messily on his twin’s torso, clamping onto his neck with his teeth. He kept his fist going lightning fast, bringing David to his own orgasm.

They lay still for a long while, panting and softening. David rearranged the dog blanket over them as Eli tucked them back into their jeans. “Not a bad reunion, huh?”

“Not bad at all.”

Eli fell asleep at once, face buried in his brother’s fur-lined hood. The brunette could still hear gunships whirring faintly in the distance. _Hurry up, Master. We need to hurry._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seems like Liquid's developed quite a taste for the daddy kink >:3


	23. Tickets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The town names are made up

The twins were woken up by the chirping of the car as it unlocked. Both of them were stiff and numb with pins and needles. They held their breath, looking at each other anxiously as Miller climbed in. He was in the middle of a phone conversation.

“…hadn’t seen him. He left around nine, he said…yeah…yeah.” He slammed the door, shaking the whole vehicle. “No, that’s what I’m saying. Let the hounds do it V, they picked up the scent twenty minutes ago…uh-huh, ok.” The Jeep rumbled into life, crunching over the gravel as he pulled onto the road. “We’re in lockdown anyway. Yep…Speak to ya later.” Kaz flung the Nokia onto the passenger’s seat. “Anyone would think Jack the fuckin’ Ripper’s on the loose.” he grumbled.  

They slowed down as they reached the front gate. Kaz rolled down his window.

“Sorry sir, no one in or out. Boss’ orders.” one of the guards addressed him.

“Boss knows I’m going. Didn’t you get the order to let me through?”

“Um…no, we didn’t receive it.” he peered in the other windows suspiciously.

“Huh…well, if he gives you shit for letting me out you tell him it’s my fault. _I’ll_ tell him it’s my fault. The order should have come through, anyway.” The guard hesitated, looking back to the others posted with him for help. One of them waved at the gate dismissively.

“Ok, we’ll open it. Go on through.” There was an almighty metallic thud as the deadbolts were drawn out, the gate squealing on its hinges. Miller drove on, waving back at the guards from the window. Once it was rolled back up he whispered:

“You just let me out of a lockdown, you idiots.” The clang that the metal made when the gates were closed again could be felt through the bottom of the car.

Eli and David relaxed, beaming at each other. They were out, and getting further away by the second. _Now all we have to do is wait until we stop, and get out when Kaz parks_ the blonde thought. He settled back down, nice and warm pressed against his brother. David shifted carefully so he could reach up and play with his hair.

The road was bumpy, jogging and rattling the snakes in the boot. Every time Eli was about to drift off he was jolted awake by a pothole. Once Miller had to break to avoid hitting a deer that bounded in front of the Jeep, and Eli had hit his head hard on the back seats. It took all his strength not to make a sound (and all of David’s not to laugh), but he was swearing like a sailor in his mind.

It was dusk by the time the journey came to an end, an hour or so after they had left Base. The car slowed to a crawl as Miller cruised up the path to his cabin, away from the hassle of civilisation. After the engine was turned off it was deathly quiet.

Miller sighed tiredly, sitting back in the driver’s seat.

“What a fucking mess, huh?” he said. Still he didn’t move to leave. “Story of my life, I suppose…” _Don’t monologue, go so we can get out!_ “Good job on getting in the car, by the way.” The twins froze, looking at each other nervously. “I know you’re both back there. C’mon, get up.”

Since Eli was on top he peeked over the back seats timidly, DD’s blanket slipping off his head. David followed as soon as he was off of him.

“How did you…”

“Know you were there? I drive this car every day. It felt heavier. Didn’t think it was a coincidence it gained 280 pounds on the day you two went missing.”

“You’re not going to take us back, are you?”

“…Nah. I won’t invite you in, either. That’d be a step too far, I think. The less involvement the better. Do you want anything before you go?”

“Can we have a coat, please?” David asked. “Eli doesn’t have one…And, uh, some food too.” Kaz opened his door, climbing out smoothly.

“Get out, then.” The twins clambered out of the back and into the bitter evening chill. “Stay there.” D-Dog barked excitedly when Kaz went in, still audible once the door was shut.

“Let’s hope he’s not going in for a gun.” Eli murmured. Miller reappeared five minutes later, carrying the supplies. He looked grim as he limped down the driveway without his cane.

“Here.” He handed the provisions over. There was a dark green puffer coat, two hats and a bag of food. David snatched up the bomber hat first, leaving Eli the red bobble hat with white stars.

“Thanks, Master.”

“I guess I’m not your master anymore.” Eli frowned at the hat. _How come he gets the good one?_ The name ‘Nadine’ was stitched inside. _Well, it’s mine now._ “I won’t tell anyone I saw you…town’s that way, by the way.” He gestured back down the drive. “Well...sorry to see you two go. You’re great soldiers. Good luck out there. I mean it.” As Miller was walking away Liquid spoke up.

“Kaz!” The older man turned back. What was he going to say to him? How do you say goodbye to someone you’ve known for years, sum it all up? All the times they argued and talked and laughed together. Miller always took his side, even if he was in the wrong. He didn't deserve any of the shit he had been put through, by their father or anyone else. He was a good man. “I-I’m sorry.” _Snakes poison the people around them._

“Me too.” He went back inside.

~

Venom sat in his study at his house, waiting for the phone to ring with news. He had only left for thirty minutes to go to a meeting between the Head Ammunitions Manufacturer and the Biomechanics Engineer from the Shadow Moses Base. When he got back Eli was gone and his own room had been ransacked.

Taking a minute to smash a few things to pieces in a fit of rage, put out an order for Base-wide lockdown due to an ‘asset gone AWOL’. Helicopters and operatives with non-lethal weaponry and tracking dogs were deployed at once.

‘If you see cadets Solid and Liquid Snake, please report immediately to your sergeant or a patrolling operative’ was the message that was distributed around the Quarters. The young draftees were excited with all the commotion.

_Solid has to be the culprit. No one else would have come to get Eli. He had been drugged, so Solid must have carried him out. If he’s having to do that on foot there’s no way he could have reached the exit before it was sealed. They have to be found…But I know they’ll escape somehow. I could._

The key had been taken from the cigar tin, along with Ishmael’s tape. _Nosey fucker. You should be glad you didn’t check under the lamp, too._ V lifted the reading light off the desk, slipping some photographs out from their hiding place under it. _I wish you had. Maybe you wouldn’t have been so quick to steal your brother._

Eli’s bright eyes looked up at him sweetly from the polaroid stacked on top. The innocent look was quite the contrast to the dick he had down his throat when it was taken. His glossed lips were pursed around V beautifully.

When he had first heard about the twins’ little misdemeanour he had been furious. Eli’s ranting about how much he loved Solid and how much he hated Venom had only served to confirm what V had feared: Solid had stolen Eli from him.

He was certain Eli would do anything to stop his twin getting hurt, so he had used it to coerce him into sex. The main reason he had done it was to effectively re-mark his territory. Every time he was abusive his son would be more obedient. It had always been that way – after gave him a beating far too savage for a twelve year old on Mother Base, Liquid had followed him around like a puppy wherever he went, obsessed.

 _You’re volatile, but what you really want is to be dominated for gratification. Even if you don’t know it_. So, fucking him roughly and forcing him to be submissive would quell any remaining feeling of rebellion he had. There was no clearer way to say ‘I’m the boss’.

Originally he had planned to rape him, but having Liquid give consent meant he couldn’t resent him for it. It takes two to tango, after all. Starting off by humiliating him, being cold, then tempting him with approval had worked a treat. The blonde had been begging him for it, much more willing than Venom had expected.

Neither of them spoke about it in the following days, pretending it didn’t happen. But it had worked; Eli was compliant with him afterward.

 _Obviously Solid wasn’t satisfying you._ V flipped to the next picture; the one of Eli looking impishly at the camera with semen splattered over his face. _I bet you won’t tell him, either._

~

The twins decided to go to the town Miller had pointed them towards. It wasn’t the same one as right outside Base, so they felt a little safer. Soon the search would spill out far into the surrounding areas.

“There’s a train station in this town, I used it when I first came to FOXHOUND.” David supplied. They had been walking for the last hour, and it had long since gotten dark.

“Good. Now all we need is some money.”

“I have a nickel.” Eli chuckled and rubbed his hands together. It was getting painfully cold.

“Perfect, that’ll last us a few years. So, where are we going to spend them? What do we do now?”

“I was kinda hoping you had a plan…”

“You must have some idea – we can’t stay in Alaska. We can go _anywhere_ we want, the world is our oyster!”

“I’ve never been out of the States before. Except to cross Canada, and on missions. I was always too focused to enjoy it, though.”

“Really? Is there anywhere you’ve always wanted to see?”

“Erm…not particularly. As for what we do next, we need some money. We can go west and take the Bering Strait into Russia, but that’s real hardcore. We could easily starve, freeze or drown crossing the ice floes. Plus there are hundreds of miles of wilderness to cross after that.”

“Put that on the ‘maybe’ list.”

“Air travel is a no go, unless we find fake passports and visas...If we can get to a shipping port we can stowaway on a cargo ship.”

“That’s a good idea. Do these trains run to the coast?”

“Can’t remember.” The beat-up road met up with a well maintained tarmac one, leading straight into the town. They could see the twinkling of lights every now and then through the trees. “How are we even going to pay for the tickets?”

“Ha, that’s where I come in. I’ve had years of practice, trust me.”

“We can’t steal the money.”

“Why not? ‘Because it’s not ours’? Don’t be stupid, we need it more.” Solid raised an eyebrow at him, but he couldn’t see it in the dark. “Would you rather we be good and get caught, or be a little bad and get away?”

“…Get away.” He grumbled. A lighted sign reading ‘Linwood, careful drivers welcome!’ stood by the road, heralding the border of the town. The way to the station was signposted right away upon entrance to the community. Along with a decommissioned lead mine, it was the only thing of note there.

It was very similar to the settlement on FOXHOUND’s doorstep. A few locals were wondering the streets as the twins passed through: some returning from work or errands, some stumbling from bar to bar, already drunk. No one seemed to pay them any attention as they passed by.

The station consisted of one platform and a ticket booth. Timetables, maps and posters for missing pets were pasted on an information board at the cubicle. “’Scuse me, how much for two tickets?” David spoke through the transaction window to the bored worker who drew the short straw for the night shift. He was resting his feet on the desk, flicking idly through a magazine.

“Where to?”

“Where’s the furthest stop from here?”

“Ha! I feel ya, buddy. It’s $10 a ticket. The 11pm will take ya all the way to Southcentral, if you change over at Boriston.”

“Thanks.” He turned away from the booth with his brother.

“Hey, don’tcha want them tickets?”

“We’ll come back later.” 

~

Pickpocketing drunkards was a lot easier than with sober people, but the inebriated were more waspish. Eli was walking the streets alone to pick a target. A scrawny, pockmarked man who was bar-hopping alone caught his attention. His North Face jacket and Nike trainers spoke volumes about the contents of his wallet.

The blonde kept his head down, bumping shoulders with him.

“Watch where you’re fucking going, faggot!”

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” he had seamlessly changed to an American accent to blend in more. Anyone asking around would soon hear about a foreign stranger in town. “I wasn’t looking.”

“Obviously fuckin’ not.” Staggering away, the man didn’t notice Eli fishing through his wallet. _Only twenty five dollars? Looks like we won’t have much left over._

David was waiting for him across from the station, huddled on a bench. He pinched Eli’s butt playfully before he could sit down next to him.

“Get anything?” His brother handed him the notes. “It’ll get us tickets, at least. You want something to eat? Miller gave us some junk food and two cans of beer.”

They sat close together, munching on energy bars and talking about all the places they could go next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm excited to write the next chapter. Since I'm literally making it up as I go along I'm glad when I have a good idea :3


	24. Swim Against the Tide

The train reached Boriston at ten o’clock the following day. It wasn’t much bigger than Linwood…or that different at all. It was almost as though they had gone full circle and arrived back in the same town.

They had spent most of the long journey asleep, leaning on one another. There were only two other people in their long cabin: an old man (who was also asleep between reading the paper) and a drifter (who was sat facing the opposite direction). The 11 o’clock train out of Linwood on a Monday night wasn’t that sought after.

At 1:47am Eli woke up, shaking his twin.

“Hey, wake up.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“Come to the bathroom with me.”

“…What? No, I’m not your carer!” David turned away in his seat, resting his head against the window. He was prodded again.

“No, I mean _let’s go to the bathroom together_.”

“And I meant _I’m sure you can take a piss on your own_.” The blonde gave an exasperated sigh and tried again. He put his hand between David’s legs, giving him a squeeze.

“Come-to-the-bathroom.” Finally the brunette caught on, breaking out in a sly smile.

“Here? Now?”

“Why not, no one’s looking this way.” _No one will see us go in, or hear us over the racket the train is making. Sounds like fun._ They got up and shuffled toward the toilet, checking to see if anyone was watching. Inside the cubicle there was, obviously, a toilet bowl and a sink.

Eli locked the door behind them, guiding the other to sit on the lid and moving to straddle his lap. Their coats were shed immediately, discarded in a heap onto the bathroom floor. The underneath of David’s shirt was crusty from their last liaison in the boot of Miller’s car.

They pawed at each other eagerly under their clothes, sweeping their tongues together in their mouths. “Fuck, you make me so hot!” David unzipped his brother’s fleece, lifting his shirt so he could return one of his earlier favours. Eli gasped when his mouth closed over the nipple, sucking and nipping at it lightly. After David was sure his chest would be getting sore from all the attention he detached, aiming for another sloppy kiss.

Liquid got up suddenly, laughing at his twin’s disappointed expression. “Don’t worry, we’re not stopping. Now it’s your turn.” The fair-haired snake dropped to his knees, fiddling at the button of his jeans. _Is he gonna suck me off? God, I hope so!_

Eli pulled the most mischievous face as he wrapped a hand around him, lowering his head to take the growing cock into his mouth. The slurping and gagging and groaning was masked by the sound of the tracks, but David could hear it all too well.

 _Oh fuck! Have you gotten better?_ It seemed like he was fitting more of him in this time. On a particularly good duck he even managed to take the whole length, swallowing when his lips pressed against the base. The muscles in his throat squeezed at him tightly, pulling him in.

“Aahh, _shit!_ ” Eli was looking up at him the entire time, where he would usually screw his eyes shut in concentration. It didn’t even occur to him that Eli might have learnt the new behaviour from someone else; he just assumed his twin had been thinking studiously on the best ways to fellate him. He was very competitive, after all.

David came hard in his mouth and Eli gulped down each mouthful as it was released, smirking around the twitching organ. They returned to their seats a minute later.

~

The next train heading in the desired direction arrived at 3pm, so the snakes wondered around town to pass the time. With each mile added between them and Big Boss their moods lifted considerably. Three dollars of their remaining $5.05 was spent on two overpriced cans of Coke from a kiosk and a fold-up atlas from a sweet little bookstore. Their low funds weren’t a problem; the tickets they had bought at Linwood got them on another locomotive at Boriston too.

“…exports to Germany, then most of the travel will be over land.” They were sat on a park bench looking at the map.

“Yeah, but where to?” David interrupted his twin’s walkthrough again. The planning ceased whenever someone walked past, picking up again once they were out of earshot.

“I suppose that depends on what we want to do…I’m supposing you’d still want mercenary work, right?”

“Yep.”

“Then Africa or the Middle East are our best bets.”

“Going back to Iraq is a bit obvious, Boss could be looking there.”

“Africa it is, then.” Eli tapped his finger where Angola was sketched out. “I spent a few years here before.”

“I think I remember you saying that. Nice place?”

“If you’re a soldier.” he shrugged. A middle aged woman pushing a pram strolled past, using one hand to tow her young son along. The boy was nearly as wide as he was tall due to the warm clothing, skipping to keep up.

“I saw it Mommy, really!”

“That’s nice, honey.”

“It was a ninja Mommy! It was a big ninja!” As the convoy turned out of the park Eli muttered:

“Annoying child. Parents must have the patience of a saint. That, or a lot of medication.” David didn’t snicker along with him. He was still watching the park entrance. _No? I thought it was funny._ “Anyway, we can only get there after a few months or so of travel. Hey, are you listening?” he elbowed the brunette. David’s face was drawn when he turned back. “Jesus, what’s wrong? You look sick!”

“We need to get out of here.”

“Duh, that’s what we’ve been discussing for the last twenty minutes!”

“No, I mean this place. We need to go…I dunno, somewhere hidden.”

“What?”

David replied with the utmost sincerity:

“That kid said he saw a ninja.” Eli burst out laughing, crumpling the map as he did. When he saw the look this brother gave him he tried hard to stifle it.

“Please tell me you’re not serious. A _ninja?_ What, did father use his time machine to go back and get one? Haha! Don’t be daft.” 

“I still think we should go.”

“Come on, how many ninjas did you know in FOXHOUND? Children say stupid shit like that all the time!”

“I-it’s just a feeling. We should at least keep moving.” The blonde narrowed his eyes at the other, searching for the punchline. _He’s not fucking joking, is he. Paranoid or what! Well, if it makes him feel better…_

“Alright then, we can walk around. My ass is starting to freeze to the bench here.”

~

They ended up taking a nature trail through the dense forest that surrounded the settlement, shaded by the thick conifers. The deciduous trees had already shed for the year, leaving the ground spongy and red around their trunks. It had two routes, a longer one and a shorter one, both of which led into the forest and looped back to the start. Since they still had a few hours to kill, they took the longer one.

The roaring of a strong river could be heard near the trail, providing a steady backdrop to the birdsong. Below their feet a path of wood chippings cut through the undergrowth. Every few hundred feet there was a plaque detailing the animal and plant species that could be seen on the walk.

There was no one else taking the trail. Eli decided to link hands with his brother as they trudged along leisurely. They didn’t have to pretend there. It was nice.

“I think we should get a place in Alaska, like Master Miller has. Out of the way, yaknow? No one would bother us. We could get a dog.”

“I’d like that. It’s nice here, innit?” Eli was enjoying the peace for once.

“We’d have a really big house, with lots of land for the dogs to run around -”

“-Dogs plural?”

“Yeah, we got more a few seconds ago. There’d be a gym, a giant TV, an awesome view from all the windows.”

“While we’re wishing for things we might as well add the death of our father to the list. Then we wouldn’t have to run at all.”

“That reminds me, there’s a tape that I found in – woah!” David fought not to be pulled over with his twin when Eli slipped on some thawed mud, landing heavily on his side.

“Ow!”

“Hahaha!”

“It’s not funny.” Eli griped, hiding his own smile behind his sleeve. “I wasn’t paying attention. Are you going to help me up or…what?” he noticed that David had gone pale again, focusing over his head. Eli followed his gaze. There was a tranquiliser dart embedded in the tree there, where Eli’s head had been a few seconds ago.

Without another word they scrambled up, breaking into a sprint along the trail. Together they swerved off the beaten track, aiming to conceal themselves further in the forest. Branches and bracken whipped at their faces, but they didn’t slow down.

Diving behind the tangled base of an uprooted tree they paused, waiting. It was lucky they hadn’t kept going; the way dropped into a steep gorge about twenty yards from where they sat. The river they could hear from the path was rushing through it swiftly.

When their assailant didn’t show after a few minutes they got anxious. “Do you think we lost ‘em?” David shrugged his shoulders, listening intently to their surroundings. There was nothing suspicious.

Cautiously the blonde peered over the trunk, making sure to remove his bright hat and stow it in a coat pocket. “I can’t see anything. If they fired from a distance they wouldn’t have kept up with us.” Solid joined him in scanning around, eventually coming to the same conclusion.

“We should keep going, so they can’t catch up. We’ll walk to confuse their tracking.” Liquid nodded and they both rose, picking their way quietly onward.

“Snake.” a gruff voice from behind them stopped them dead. They both whipped around to face their addresser. There was someone standing fifteen feet away at the felled tree where they had been hiding, pointing a handgun at them.

 _Holy shit, it_ is _a ninja!_ The man was dressed in a thin black FOXHOUND sneaking suit, his mouth and nose concealed by a red half-balaclava. Armed to the teeth, he had two pistols (one tranquiliser and one for live rounds), a dart sniper rifle, four combat knives sheathed in his belt and a katana strapped across his back alongside the rifle. His stark face covering and white hair didn’t do much by the way of camouflage.

“Fox!” David put his hands up to stay the weapon trained at them. “Please…don’t do this.”

“I never thought that you’d leave FOXHOUND, Snake. You would have gone far, much farther than anyone else.” _So he did know a ninja in FOXHOUND. Did we just step into a comic book?_ Liquid thought they could take him, the two of them together. His brother didn’t seem so sure; everything about his body language screamed surrender.

“We couldn’t stay there.”

“It’s easy to forget that you’re still so young, because of your skill. But you are, and still naïve. You’re nothing but a soldier, all we can do is fight. Dreaming about living a cosy life with your brother is a fairy tale. You’ve thrown everything away for a childish fantasy.”

The twins looked at each other nervously. Solid flicked his eyes from Liquid to the gorge behind them a few times. _He’s trying to say we should jump!_

“You’re right, but we still can’t go back. Please, let us go!”

“‘Us’? ‘We’? No. My orders were clear. Kill Solid Snake, bring Liquid Snake back alive.” That was the cue the snakes had been waiting for. They bolted, sprinting away toward the gulch. An unsilenced gunshot cracked as they turned, bouncing and echoing through the forest like thunder.

Liquid was the first to make it to there, kicking off the edge and flailing as he fell. It was a thirty foot drop to the churning water, not too extreme. However, the cold that cut to the marrow of his bones was painful. Solid was a few seconds behind him, his splash muted by the rumbling of the waterway.

The powerful currents pulled them under as they raced on at a frightening speed. At the peak of a rapid they were forced up, allowing them a breath before they were yanked back down again. Somehow the blonde managed to grab onto Solid’s boot, clinging on for dear life.

In just five minutes of the prolonged drowning they were already over half a mile away from where they had jumped.

Rocks smoothed by centuries of erosion bashed into them, threatening to break bone if they were hit just right. Logs wedged under the boulders stuck up like spears, one ripping the tail of the brunette’s parka. If he had been a few inches lower it would have impaled him.

Eli was dashed against the riverbed, the blow making his hold on his brother release. Panicking he thrashed his arms, finding nothing but water. As he came up for another life-saving breath he spotted Solid a few feet away. His cry of ‘DAVID!’ was cut off as he went under again.

The violent jerking and lurching of the current coupled with the lack of oxygen was making him weak and dizzy. One hurried lungful every few minutes wasn’t enough, and he knew he would lose consciousness very soon.

Their bizarre luck struck again when Liquid got snagged on a branch. His head was held above the surface, letting him get his bearings back. The valley had disappeared on either side of the river, replaced by stony beaches. _How far did we drift?_ Grabbing onto the branch he disentangled himself, using the limb as a mooring to struggle to the shore.

He never thought he’d be so happy to be on land. No time was spent dwelling on the victory, though. As soon as he was out of the water he got to his feet, fighting to stay upright.

“DAVID!” His brother was nowhere to be seen. “DAVID!” _Pleasepleaseplease_. “Where are you?! DAVID!” _Please be ok please be ok!_ The desperate cries scared a murder of crows from a nearby Sitka spruce, cawing raucously as they took off.

Liquid stumbled up and down the pebbly stretch, yelling as he went. _What if he was washed away, what if he can’t get out?_ “DAVID!” _What if he’s already drowned_?! “PLEASE! _Where are you?_ Where…” he stopped to catch his breath, shaking more from grief than from the cold.

“Eli!” Liquid’s head snapped up. _I thought I heard-_ “Eli!” the soft call sounded again from the river. He ran towards it, slipping over the stones.

“David?” Behind a pale boulder jutting out of the river Solid was stretching to keep his face above water. The rushing flow kept running over him, submerging him. “DAVID! Oh God!” Eli dived back in despite the powerful pull. His brother was only a few feet from the shore, but it was deep; deeper by a few inches than the brunette was tall. The flood that left him dunked under for too long at a time was slowly drowning him.

Eli yanked his arm, pushing off the boulder. He didn’t move.

“I’m stuck-….my foo-” David gargled. _Shit_. Eli changed tactics and reached down, tugging at his twin’s leg. His foot had gotten trapped under the boulder by another tumbling rock as he had scraped along the bottom. Resurfacing, Eli took a deep breath and sealed his mouth over David’s, holding his nose and exhaling to fill the other’s starved lungs.

The frantic pulling wasn’t working to free the choking snake. It was near impossible to see past the strong tide. _Hurry, he’s drowning, hurry up!_ Eli sank even lower, gripping above the ankle and jiggling it side to side fiercely. The rock that had been jammed against the boot finally came loose and David kicked away toward the beach.

They were carried to it quickly, each dragging themselves away from the river. David spluttered, coughing up the fluid from his lungs.

“Jesus, we’re ok, we’re ok!” Eli laughed wearily, crawling to grip onto his brother. “We made it…Fuck…You alright?” He rolled Solid onto his back after the coughing fit, freezing when he saw the blood soaking through his parka. He had been shot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had another idea of where to take this. I don't want it to end too definitively, but I don't want to leave it without some kind of conclusion.  
> Anyway, it will be long, so I might split the story (not what is already written) into two and make it a series.


	25. Missing Bullet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've tried to make the ordeal of getting shot more realistic that in the games, where you just dig out the bullet, kiss it better and off you go.

Solid was nearly knocked over before he heard the sound of the gun firing, as though someone had shoved him. He staggered, quickly regaining his footing to continue running toward the gorge.

The bite of the cold when he entered the water was mind-numbing. As he came up for a breath he felt a tingling in his chest that suddenly became an intense, localised burning. His strangled cry bubbled silently from under the torrent.

After what felt like a lifetime of being spun and thrown around the twisting stopped. He was stuck to the riverbed. There was little more than an inch between his face and the surface. Every now and then the depth would flicker as the currents swirled, allowing him a small window to breathe.

Even before he had become caught he had been suffocating. Struggling uselessly, he felt the sickening rush of realisation stab through him: he was going to die there. Still he didn’t give up. _No, no, this can’t be it! Not like this, please! Save me!_

Then he could hear a yelling so loud it was audible underwater. _Eli!_ He called back desperately, swallowing water as he did. The blonde found him, attempting to free him. Everything was getting dimmer, his vision starring and darkening as he lost consciousness. Solid pushed away from the boulder with the last of his strength when he felt his foot come loose, finally getting some oxygen when they were beached.

~

Eli acted fast, pressing a hand firmly over the circular laceration to staunch the flow of blood. His brother reflexively twisted away from the pain, shouting wordlessly.

“It’s alright, it’s alright! Stay still.” The bullet had entered the right side of his body, just under the collarbone. A quick damage report cycled through the blonde’s mind. _Bad place, very bad! There could be a punctured lung, the bullet could have severed the subclavian artery…No, there’s not enough blood for major vessel damage like that…He would have already drowned if there was a hole in the lung…_

He had been taught multiple times how to treat a gunshot wound. In fact, it had been drilled into him so much that he could recite the instructions in his sleep – but now the time had come to employ them, the answers were slow to appear.

 _Alright…Okay…Exit wound._ Using his free hand he carefully lifted David’s arm, checking the armpit. The brunette screamed again at the manipulation. _Nothing._ He lifted the shoulder up, craning his neck to look along his back. _Nothing again. Either it’s left the body somewhere strange, or it’s still in there._

“Stop, it hurts!”

“I know, I’m sorry!” _Shit!...Ok, check lucidity._ “Uh, David, can you tell me what happened?”

“Whadda ya mean? He fuckin’ shot me…Christ, I…” _Good enough._

“Ok…just keep calm.” _If we stay out in the open we’ll be spotted a mile away._ “We’re going to go further into the forest -”

“-You’re not supposed to move gunshot victims.”

“ _I know that_ , but if we don’t hide we’ll both be victims.” Eli moved to crouch at his twin’s head, holding him under the arms. “Ready? 3, 2, 1!” The moment he started pulling David yelled, reaching a volume Eli didn’t know was physically possible.

“ _STOOOP, AHHHHH!_ ”

“I can’t, we need to move!” he tried to be heard over the screeching. Once they were past the treeline, Eli paused to look around. Past the gloom of the canopy he spotted an overhanging shelf of rock jutting diagonally from the forest floor nearly 45 metres away. _So far…but we need to go._

He began dragging David again, wincing at the otherworldly sound of agony he made. The going was slow, and he had to keep stopping to manoeuvre the injured snake over rocks and roots. It felt like hours until he reached the shelf. Because of the height and angle they could shelter under it from any rain.

The ground sloped down towards the base, making it cave-like once they settled underneath. If it did rain, and heavily, it would just pour down the slope; but for the time being it was useful concealment.

Eli lay David down, going back into nurse mode. _Keep him warm._ They were both soaked through, without any change of clothes or means of heating up. _Start a fire? That ninja might see the smoke. We have to dry off._

He helped his brother first, unzipping his bloody coat and peeling it back. _We can’t wait for them to air dry, so I’ll get the worst of the wet out. Our body heat should evaporate the rest._

Then came the jacket and t-shirt. Taking the items away from their shelter he wrung them out as much as he could, twisting his wrists harshly and creasing the fabric. The clothes were put back on, and he repeated the process with the lower half. Solid was silent save for his low moaning.

Once they were done he put their hats back on. Solid’s had been fastened, so it had stayed on during their swim; and Liquid’s was still safely in his coat pocket. He left the parka unzipped so he had easier access to the wound in case he needed to get to it.

 _I can’t take the bullet out, it could be plugging up a blood vessel. I can’t seal the wound either, any pus will need to drain…and I’d need to cauterise it, which would require a fire. The bleeding needs to stop before I can dress it, too._ It had become a slight trickle, but it was bleeding nonetheless. _It is stopping, at least._

Liquid looked down at his clone helplessly. He was pale, breathing sporadically through his mouth. The blonde lay down alongside Solid’s left and draped an arm over his middle. They would heat up more efficiently if they shared warmth. It was the best he could do without aggravating the injury. “David?”

“Hhhnn…”

“How do you feel?”

“…Ow…”

“Yeah, I bet. Try to stay awake.” He moved Solid’s arms to tuck his ungloved hands in his armpits, under the puffer coat. They were so cold it made him shudder. His own bare hands went under the parka. _He needs a hospital, but there’s no way I can move him. I don’t even know where we are! How that bullet avoided lungs, arteries and bone I’ll never know._

Both of them were shivering. _Bloody freezing out here._ “It’s a bit chilly, innit?”

“Mmm.” David was heating up fast. Eli could feel his heart beating quickly through his chest. _That’s not good. Hang in there, I can save you._

“You said we were getting dogs before. What kind?”

“Uhhh…huskies.” _At least he can still make conversation. It’ll help distract him from the pain._

“What would they be called?”

“Dunno.” Eli’s constant shivering had stopped, but he could still feel his twin trembling. His skin had already become feverishly hot. “…Do you think I’ll be ok?”

“Definitely! Don’t say things like that, I promise you’ll be fine.” _Hopefully that was convincing._ He felt like he was the one who needed convincing more. “You’re just worried because – well, because you’ve been shot…Think about it like this: how many great soldiers have been shot before?”

“…Probably all of them.”

“Exactly. And shot multiple times, too. It makes for a great story, but they end up ok. Right?”

“Right.” _That didn’t sound much more hopeful. Try harder!_

“Did you know our father had to complete a mission after being shot in the _face?_ He was shot, electrocuted, stabbed, stung, poisoned, bitten, set on fire! There was no medical care there for him. He still completed his mission though. He was only a few years older than us.”

“Everyone fucking knows that, it’s Operation Snake Eater. _Every_ soldier knows that.” _Just trying to help, Jesus! (Don’t be angry at him, he’s hurt!)_ It was the most David had said for a while, so he continued.

“Alright, what about…the destruction of the Militaires Sans Frontieres?”

“What about it?” _I’ll tell V’s version._

“Well, father was in a helicopter crash. He lost his arm, got irremovable shrapnel in his head and heart -”

“- He went into a coma for a decade.”

“…Bad example. After that, then. Did I tell you I was there when he fought Sahelanthropus? You what that is, right?”

“Yes I _know what it is!_ ” he spat. Eli stopped talking, stunned at his brother’s sudden ire. They lay in awkward silence, broken only by David’s laboured breathing. “Stop talking about him please. You talk like he’s your hero or something, even after everything he’s done to us.”

The blonde kept quiet. His denial wouldn’t be very believable at that moment. _He’s not my hero, I hate him!_

“…Sorry. I just thought it might make you feel better, knowing you’re capable of so much.”

“Don’t compare me to him. That’s all anyone has done since I found out about…all this. We’re not the same. I’m my own person, and you are too; even if we’re unnatural. Even if we were created in a lab.”

Eli thought about that for a long time. It was exactly what he had needed to hear since he was born, yet he still felt as though it wasn’t true. _We can’t escape what we are, brother._ “Do you think we’re even human?”

“What else would we be?”

“Monsters.” _We are._ _How the fuck am I supposed to answer that?_

“It is what it is.”

“Comforting.”

~

David eventually fell asleep. Eli let him rest. His heart and respiratory rate went down as he drifted off, which was a good thing. He just needed to make sure it didn’t keep dropping. The bleeding had stopped too, so he could dress the wound.

He tore the bottom of his t-shirt, ripping carefully until it was a few inches shorter all the way around. _Looks clean enough. It hasn’t touched any dirt, at least_. Gently he lifted his brother’s top to get a look at the injury. _Ouch._ It was small, but open and deep, no longer leaking blood. The skin around it was tight and shiny as his body fought to heal itself. He couldn’t see the bullet when he leaned in for a closer look.

_So far, so good. Now I just have to clean it…The water from the river will be really clean, but I don’t have a container to transport it. Plus, it needs to be applied with pressure. I could spit some on, but then it wouldn’t be anywhere near as sterile after being in my mouth._

Pressing his fingertips to his clavicle, he felt along it for any fractures. _Nice and smooth. Bruised as fuck, but no break._ Eli slipped his hand under his clothes to feel the shoulder blade. It was more difficult to tell because of the muscles over the bone. _A-Okay here too._

All over both of their bodies large bruises were developing after the beating they got from the powerful river. _He went through all that after being shot. We were in there for so long…It’s a miracle he’s doing so well. I suppose that’s further proof that we’re made of stronger stuff; anyone else would be dead by now._

He was tempted to have some fun with him as he had done in Iraq. Something about seeing his twin unconscious and oblivious was very exciting to him. _Not today. Making his heart pump faster isn’t a good idea right now. God, I’m so selfish! He’s been shot, and I’m thinking about shit like that! I need to get on with looking after him._

Eli refocussed on the wound. _I’m going to have to pee on it._ Waiting for a full bladder wouldn’t be a problem, all the water he had swallowed earlier had done the trick. _Don’t wake up_ he willed as he moved himself to kneel either side of David’s ribs.

Some of it trickled down onto the shirt and jacket bunched up at the brunette’s neck, but there was nothing Eli could do about it. _You’ll just have to be stinky and gross for now, it’s better than getting an infection_. He had to stop before he was completely relieved, he didn’t want Solid’s clothes to get too wet again.

The length of fabric from his t-shirt was just about long enough to loop around his brother’s chest, under his right arm and over the left side of his neck like a sling. Once he was done tying the knot he pulled the tops down again and settled back beside him. For now, there was nothing more he could do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI using urine as a disinfectant is a last resort if there is not any clean, flowing water handy. It's not that good for you.   
> Also I previously thought it would be a good idea to call this chapter 'Bear Grylls up in this bitch'. I was very tired.


	26. Pain Killing

The pain chased David through his sleep. Even unconscious he could feel it, burning a hole through his skin, through his flesh, through his bones.

In his dreams, which had the vivid quality one gets through being grievously ill, the searing in his chest manifested itself as the familiar snake he had imagined many times before. Its pale, hooked teeth were latched onto him where the bullet had entered in the waking world; its strong, muscular body wrapped tight around him.

In each direction was nothing but darkness, his immediate surroundings illuminated by a light with no source.

“Do I hurt you, baby? Does it hurt?” The mouthful of muscle didn’t affect the serpent’s ability to speak in its low, dangerous way.

“Yes.” he croaked meekly.

“Yes? So much pain…Oh, so much…Can you survive such suffering, little one?” Its bite got more powerful, and it tightened the hold.

“Yes.”

“Hmm, so sure of yourself…where’s your humility? I suppose snakes have none. Your brother is an excellent example, don’t you think?”

“David!” The brunette turned his head towards Eli’s voice, finding him sitting a few metres away. He was naked, smiling at him happily. David could see him easily through the darkness.

A figure materialised behind his twin, glaring at him with a burning blue eye. _Big Boss._ He didn’t look human. A horn twisted on his forehead, growing from him crudely. His fingers were clawed and his mouth could barely shut over the thick pointed teeth. _Like a demon._

Eli bent forward onto his hands and knees, still smiling. The demon grabbed onto his hips, digging the talons deep until they disappeared under inches of fresh tissue. Then he thrusted into his brother, slamming against him roughly.

“No!”

“ _Yes!_ ” Eli whined, tilting his head back in ecstasy. “Yes, yes!”

“You see? No shame.” _No! Don’t touch him!_ Eli’s arms gave out and he dropped face first to the shapeless ground, moaning orgasmically as he was pounded.

Boss relinquished his hold at his rear, pressing his claws into the bare shoulders and dragging them down slowly, tearing the flesh like warm butter. As Eli climaxed dramatically David could see his spine and ribs showing under the shredded skin and sinew.

He woke with a rush, the agony of his injury becoming real again.

“Uuuuuuuggh…” Past the thick canopy of the forest he couldn’t tell if it was day or night. He felt his twin beside him, breathing softly. _Just a dream…It was just a dream…I wouldn’t let him do that to you. You’re_ mine.

~

Frank Jaeger never felt joy or sorrow over his contracts. Each time he killed someone a part of him always died with them, but he never felt anything profound when the order was relayed to him.

It was different, however, when he was given the task of retrieving the wayward snakes. ‘Kill cadet Solid Snake. Bring cadet Liquid Snake back alive and unharmed. They must not escape at all costs. This mission is of utmost importance.’

Jaeger didn’t want Solid to die. He certainly didn’t want to be the one to do it either. Such a waste of a good soldier. It would be done anyway, regardless of how he felt.

Since he was older he didn’t train alongside Solid, but they had collaborated on missions together two or three times. Trainees usually didn’t get dispatched on their first mission until the completion of their training - with the exception of Solid. He had all the trademarks of a legend in the making: hard working, inhumanly adept, quick thinking and smart, willing.

To say that Frank was surprised when Big Boss ordered his extermination was an understatement. As far as he knew Solid Snake was his most promising soldier. Why would he want him dead? He asked Boss the same question and the scarred mercenary had fixed him with his chilling remaining eye.

“He’s stolen something from me.” was all he had said, dismissing him with a flick of his prosthetic wrist.

Boss had dispatched him the night they had gone AWOL, suspecting they had already managed to slip away despite the lockdown. Frank thought they knew better than to waltz into the nearby town, and he doubted they would stop to sleep rough when they were still so close to base.

His search was narrowed considerably when a guard at the main gate told him that Kazuhira Miller had driven through ten minutes ago. Not even Miller had clearance to leave during lockdown, so he had to have tricked the guards into letting him out.

Why? Perhaps he was hiding something. Or someone. It was very unusual for Kazuhira to disobey Boss in such a serious matter. And now, given the circumstances, very suspicious.

Frank knew where Miller lived – at least, he knew the closest settlement. With the help of a fast chopper and some inconspicuous Intel staff the residents of Linwood town where interrogated. Obviously the first place to check would be the local train station. They asked after two young men, twins, who might have passed through recently.

The clerk on duty at the time confirmed he had seen the twins, and that they had bought a ticket to the next region via Boriston. Jaeger took the chopper there right away. Since it was making a beeline there as opposed to the train’s meandering he arrived before them, at eight the following morning.

Obviously the finer details of why the snakes had run off hadn’t been divulged to him. He knew there was much more to it than what he was told, there always was. Solid wouldn’t have deserted FOXHOUND for no reason; it was his home, his future, his reason.

He saw the twins get off the train at ten, watching them like a hawk from the trees surrounding the town as they ambled around. They weren’t doing anything suspicious (apart from looking at a map for a while), just walking and talking. Abruptly the brothers left town to take the trail through the forest, a massive stroke of luck for Fox.

The entire time he had been watching them. He never thought too much about his contracts either, but he was very curious about this one. Why had they run away? To go on a trip? Then they had held hands, which confused him more. Then they had started planning their make-believe future together. By then he had an inkling as to what was going on. _But why does Boss want one dead and the other safe?_

Everything would have gone so smoothly if the blonde one hadn’t slipped over at the exact moment he pulled the trigger on his tranq rifle. Fox had chased them down and cornered them again, but they jumped off of a cliff and escaped. _I shot Snake, so he will not survive his trip down the river. All I need to do is hope the other one is ok and go find him._

Which was easier said than done. But done nonetheless. After he spotted a trail of blood drying on some rocks by the riverbank he knew he was closing in. That was when he got an unexpected Codec call from Big Boss himself. “Status report.”

“Boss. I managed to locate cadets Liquid and Solid Snake. They, uh, evaded capture…but I succeeded in shooting Solid Snake before they entered the river.” He had already relayed all this to the Intel officers overseeing his progress from back on Base.

“Hmm. Could he still be alive?”

“I doubt it, sir, but I cannot be sure. I have come across blood on their expected route of travel, so -”

“- Good work, Fox. Disregard all directives from your current mission.”

“Sir?”

“There’s been a change of plan.”

~

Eli worried about his brother. His condition hadn’t worsened, yet he worried all the same. The wound had stopped bleeding the day before, and the frequent checks turned up no sign of infection. David was obviously still in a lot of pain, but he was speaking coherently and following along with brief conversations.

The blonde gave him a lot of water to keep him hydrated; and also to keep him from going into shock, as he had lost so much blood. He would run to the river and collect a mouthful, then run back and deliver it to him like he was a baby bird.

At first David had been so parched that he had accepted it without much more than a quiet ‘thanks’. Once his thirst had begun to diminish he started to get a bit more playful. As Eli was transferring the liquid, David would use his tongue to make him want to linger with their mouths together. Eli resisted twice before he gave up, pushing back with his own and forgetting about the water.

David was too weak for them to do anything more, so they lay there and made out for half an hour. The mood was shattered when the brunette turned his face away to cough. At the end of the fit he spat up a mouthful of frothy mucus, much to his twin’s disgust. Needless to say, they didn’t go back to kissing.

After the coughing he began to wheeze. His breath crackled, and he had to keep hacking to bring up more phlegm. Eli didn’t think anything of it. He had probably caught a cold after everything that they had been through in the last 24 hours. The temperature and pallor he was presenting could also be symptoms of the gunshot wound.

“My chest hurts.” David mumbled, trying to lift the furry hat from his sweating head.

“I know. Bullets tend to do that. Do you want me to kiss it better?” The golden snake ducked under his shirt, pressing his lips along his chest. David was enjoying it far too much to tell his brother that the bullet wasn’t the problem. Eli’s cold face felt nice on his burning skin. A few times he made his supine twin lurch, and David would push him away with his good arm.

“Not there, it tickles.” Once he had sketched a mental map of the approved areas he kept to them.

“Feel any better yet?” he asked after a few minutes.

“Hmm…” David hummed in mock thought. “No, you need to keep going.”

“Thought so. It’s like a sauna in here!”

As the pain-killing kisses continued they both became engrossed in the treatment. Despite its eroticism it was relaxing, and Eli fought not to fall asleep against the warmth. Luckily David coughed each time he got too drowsy. “AH, shit!” Eli jumped, pulling his hands out to swat at the swathe of bare skin peeking from under his coat.

“Ha! It’s a bit cold for bees, isn’t it?” Eli didn’t answer. “Pull the stinger out, then…Eli?” The blonde had slumped against him, still under his shirt. He propped himself up with his left arm, pulling up his top to get a look at his brother. It looked like he had fallen asleep, but the ballistic syringe embedded in his side told another story. “ _Shit!_ ”

“Am I interrupting?” Gray Fox emerged from behind a dark tree, holstering his dart gun. The brunette kicked his feet in panic, but he knew he didn’t have the strength to run or fight back. Plus, running would mean leaving Eli behind.

“Fox! W-wait, don’t hurt us! We’ll disappear – tell Boss we both died out here, and we’ll go somewhere he’ll never find us!”

“Why is he under your clothes like that?” David blanched, going red.

“Uhh…I – uh, to keep warm.”

“Hm.” Fox pulled a pair of rigid handcuffs from his belt, moving forward to grab Eli.

“No, don’t touch him!” Eli’s wrists were secured behind his back, and he was rolled away from them gently.

“I can’t tranquilise you because of the gunshot. I don’t know how it will affect you.” _Tranquilise?_

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, there’s been a change of plan…I’m not going to kill you.”

“What? Please tell me what’s going on!” Fox lifted the layers from his wound to get a look at it.

“All I know is that I have to get you both onto the chopper that’s currently en-route. That clearing over there has been determined as a suitable LZ.” he pointed back to the stony beach.

“Chopper? To where? Please, don’t send us back!”

“I don’t know where to, but I know it’s not Base. I have to get a separate one back.” _Not Base? What’s going on!_ Jaeger slid his hands under Solid’s body, lifting him easily from the ground. He cried out at the movement.

The older man carried him through the forest, laying him down in the rocky clearing. “Stay put.” _Is that supposed to be a joke_? He was left alone while Fox went to retrieve his brother.

 _Where are we being taken? Not Base…maybe Boss changed his mind and decided to send us to a torture facility. Was he even the one who changed the order? He has to be, Fox wouldn’t listen to anyone else…_ Eli was placed beside him. Over his Codec, Jaeger reported his progress back and got a static-fuzzy reply. “It’ll be five minutes.”

Gray Fox stood with his back to the snakes, not inviting any kind of conversation. David was glad, otherwise he might have to explain himself. He had a lot of respect for his fellow mercenary. Somehow he felt that Fox was disappointed in him. It wasn’t a good feeling.

They could hear the helicopter a full minute before it hovered into view over the tall pines, whipping their branches flat as it descended. A team of medics hopped out after a pair of armed guards, carrying a stretcher. David was carefully lifted onto it, asking the medics questions about their destination without pause. They didn’t answer, securing his hands and feet to the pallet quickly. The strap used to secure his chest was left, so they had access to his wound. 

The chopper was big, slightly bigger even than the one that had taken them from Iraq. Inside the stretcher was fixed into place. Eli was brought in after, still unconscious, and the guards trained their weapons at him as the cuffs were removed. _Taser rifles?_ He was then searched, stripped of his coat and manoeuvred into a straitjacket.

“That’s a bit much, isn’t it?” he asked the medic that had been trying to keep his attention since he boarded.

“You’ve been graded as a Black Level Threat; it’s necessary.” _At least she’s answering me._

“Is that bad?”

“Well, let’s just say Purple is the highest I’ve ever heard it to go.” _That didn’t really clear anything up_. “Can you look at me, please?” David turned his head away, focussing on his twin again. The guards were fitting him with a metal face mask dotted with holes, like half of a silver hockey mask. Inside was lined with felt to stop it freezing to his skin in the minus temperatures.

They sat Eli down in one of the seats at the foot of his stretcher, strapping him in tightly. David started laughing, which panicked everyone in the cabin.

“What? What’s so funny?!” The guards pointed their weapons at him as the medics recoiled, eyes wide with alarm.

“He looks like Hannibal Lecter!” he snorted, and everyone relaxed again. “What’s with all the straps?”

“We’ve been briefed on your circumstances. As a Black Level Threat, you’re both required to be restrained. Usually we would carry live weapons, but we were instructed to use non-lethal only.”

“By who?”

“Well, I’m partly to blame for the restraints.” Another stranger spoke up from the back of the chopper, where David hadn’t even spotted him. He strode into view, each footstep jangling musically.


	27. Of Masks and Men

The man sat himself on the seat at Solid’s head after letting him see his face. He was in his late forties, with long white hair and a neat moustache.

“Solid Snake. It’s nice to finally meet you.” he drawled.

“Who are you?”

“A friend of your father’s.” David scowled at the mention of Big Boss. _All the running was for nothing, then. He has us._  The medic beside him was still trying to perform a health check, but he was ignoring her. “Call me Ocelot.”

Growing impatient, the nurse decided to carry on around their conversation. She flashed a penlight into his eyes, but his blinking and moving made it impossible to see his pupil’s reaction. “About the restraints. Because of your Level, it’s required that you be…under control in undesignated areas. I didn’t recommend the muzzles personally, but it is a good idea. He bites.” Ocelot nodded toward Eli.

“Sir.” The exasperated female medic turned to Ocelot. “He needs to keep still for this, so the mask can be fitted on as soon as possible.”

“He will.” _That’s real presumptuous, what makes you think I’ll listen to you_? “If not, then you won’t be able to administer pain-killers.” David couldn’t see what face he was pulling, but it sounded condescending. The promise of drugs was enough to make him compliant though; somehow the pain felt like it was getting worse.

Above them the whirring of the blades got louder and the helicopter lifted from the ground, rising slowly over the trees. While she was checking his eyes again another medic cut the jacket and t-shirt off him. Thankfully the cabin was being heated.

The makeshift bandage was removed and the wound doused with saline. Using a stethoscope would be near impossible because of the noise, so they improvised by wearing ear-defenders over the instrument’s eartips. When he was asked to take a deep breath he started coughing, spitting mucus into the proffered kidney dish.

“How long have you been coughing?” the female medic asked after casting a worried glance into the dish.

“Just today.”

“Do you have any difficulty or pain while breathing?”

“Yeah, both.” she showed the dish to the older medic beside her, who was removing a rubber tourniquet after taking a sample of blood. He gave her the same look. They leaned in to confer quickly, their words muffled by the thumping of the rotor. _That’s not good._

“Alright, we can sedate you for the journey.” _Finally. What were they looking so spooked for?_

~

Eli came to a few minutes after his brother went under. His eyes were heavy and his mind was foggy. As he moved to stretch he felt resistance in his limbs. _What the…_ He tried again, noticing the attire he had been fitted out with. _What the fuck?_

David was on a stretcher beside him, a tracheal tube hanging from his mouth. A medic was raising an IV bag for him. _He’s ok! Why hasn’t that ninja killed him?...Have we been rescued?_

“You’re awake.” His recognition was so instantaneous it was almost a reflex. Eli snapped his head toward the voice. Sitting rigidly behind David was a horribly familiar face. _Oh no no no_ – He started to struggle against his restraints meekly. _No! We’ve just been caught again! He’s here to wipe our memories!_

The wiggling became a violent thrashing as the sedative swiftly wore off. Everyone in the cabin watched him curiously. Those sitting in the seats opposite him had to move to avoid getting kicked by his long legs. “Nice to see you’re just as docile as I remember.”

It was as though everything was going as wrong as it possibly could. His twin was getting some professional care, _but_ they had both been captured again. Without a doubt their father was responsible – Ocelot’s presence made that guess a certainty.

“Should we tranquilise him?” one of the spectators inquired.

“No, let him tire himself out.” Ocelot replied. He was enjoying Eli’s distress a lot. The fact that he was still feral would come in handy, too.

“Let me _out_ , get this shit off me _now!_ ”

“He’s feisty, isn’t he?” the Russian chuckled.

“No kidding.” chimed in one of the guards, a short, stocky young man with ‘Jenkins’ stitched onto the breast of his olive drab. “No one on Base is gonna believe I saw a Black Level this close up.”

“Yeah, I’m glad we were told to tie him down. I bet he’s frightening in action.” his colleague concurred.

“Why don’t you come over here and find out?” Eli spat, twisting harshly to glare at them. They just laughed at him from the safety of their seats along the back of the cabin.

He could feel his anger rising unbearably, with no way to suitably vent it. Tied up there wasn’t a lot he could do but scream and flail, but no volume could possibly express the black hatred that threatened to burst him open. It took two hours and forty minutes before the blonde let up, slumping in exhaustion.

“I’m thirsty.” He complained. No one made to help him, so he tried again. “I need a drink.” After a few more seconds of hesitation a willing assistant came forward in the form of Jenkins, taking his canteen out and unscrewing the cap.

“Anyone got a straw?”

“Use this.” The female medic, ‘Hopkins’ according to her embroidered ID, handed him some spare IV tubing. Jenkins tried to feed one end through a hole on Eli’s mask, but the fixture on the tip was too large. He took out a knife, lining up to cut it off.

“That’ll come out of your paycheck.” another medic warned him, stopping him dead. Eli had to keep from rolling his eyes at them. _It probably costs next to nothing._

“Just take the mask off.” he suggested innocently.

“We’re not supposed to remove it.”

“It’s not like you’re untying me, I’m just having a drink.” The guard turned to Ocelot, who remained mute and unreadable. Setting the open flask on the stretcher, Jenkins leaned in to fumble with the fasteners on the mask. Once it was off the canteen was pressed against his lips. Eli spluttered, spilling water down his front.

“Don’t hold it like that, it’s going all over me! I can’t sip it if it’s not in my mouth.” _Closer…_ Grumbling in exasperation the guard readjusted his grip on the flask and tried again. _Closer…_ The blonde snake sat back, prompting his helper to move with him. _Perfect._

Liquid lunged forward and sunk his teeth into the soft spot under his jaw, feeling the satisfying pop as the first sharp points pierced the skin. Jenkins gave a strangled yelp and pushed uselessly at his chest, held firmly in place. Around them the cabin exploded into life as people shouted and raced up to separate them.

One of the guards managed to activate his stun gun and fire the projectile electrodes at Liquid; a bad idea due to the fact that the electrocution made his jaw muscles tense, and the person he was latched onto received a shock too.

With the aid of his colleagues Jenkins was torn back. The chunk of flesh came away in Liquid’s mouth, leaving a deep hole that was gushing blood in steaming spurts. A medic pressed a shaking hand over the gouge in vain, reassuring him unconvincingly.

He gasped and trembled, crimson bubbling from the corners of his mouth. As he went limp, the powerful jets died down to a steady trickle that seeped to each corner of the floor. On each wall, as well as on the ceiling and people within the helicopter, there where thick streaks and splatters of blood that had been sprayed by the strong pressure in the artery.

For a moment everything was suspended. The shell-shocked passengers stood motionless as they processed what had just happened. Suddenly one of the armed soldiers snapped out of it.

“You BASTARD!” they swung the butt of their stun gun, hitting the side of Liquid’s head.

“NO, your orders were not to harm them!” Ocelot spoke up.

“Didn’t you just see that? He _killed_ -”

“- That was his own fault. You all knew the risk, and he chose to ignore it. If _you_ choose to continue disobeying direct orders, you’ll have to answer to the Boss.” The threat immediately did the trick of dissuading them. Everyone slowly settled back down, watching Liquid with loathing.

The golden snake, unaffected by the blow, hummed happily. He slurped the thick lump of meat up and swallowed it, giving them all a broad smile that showed his red teeth.

~

It was just before dusk when the chopper landed on the spacious deck of the _Ophiuchus_. The soldiers on board stopped to watch it, impatient to see who came out. According to the grape-vine it was transporting two Black Levels – a rarity, as there were only three. The other one was Big Boss.

As the door slid open the carnage inside became apparent. Blood coated each surface, as though a paint bomb had gone off. First to exit were the guards, who were closest to the door. Two of them carried a body between them. A shock blanket had been draped over it, soaked black with blood.

Next came the medics, manoeuvring a stretcher out while keeping the equipment still. There was someone on it, sedated and intubated. Then came Ocelot. He wasn’t a stranger to those on the boat; he was Boss’ right hand man, after all.

Soldiers in riot gear marched into to the helicopter. They re-emerged hefting the last passenger: an unconscious young man in a straitjacket.

~

The world was swaying gently when Liquid Snake opened his green eyes. He was in a small empty room, chained to the wall by a shackle around his neck. A blanket had been thrown over him to keep him warm in the metal room. Even with the chains he still wore a (clean) straitjacket, but the muzzle had been removed.

Ocelot was sitting in a fold-up chair at the other end of the room by the door, arms and legs crossed. _Was he watching me?_ Even after all the years since Liquid had last seen him he still wore the red scarf, gloves and spurred boots. _Fucking weirdo._

“Where’s David?”

“Medical level. The rocking of the boat doesn’t exactly make the best conditions for treatment, but Boss wants him healthy as soon as possible.”

“Wait, wait; one thing at a time.” His head was swirling after all the tranquilisers. “He’s ok, then?”

“He will be.”

“That’s not a ‘yes’. What are they doing to him?”

“Well, for the gunshot wound they’ve removed the bullet and sealed it. For his lungs, they’ve put him on PEEP -”

“- The bullet damaged his lungs?”

“No, the water did. He’s got pulmonary oedema.”

“Fuck, is it serious?”

“In his case it’s not severe. He’ll be fine.” Liquid let out a sigh of relief.

“Alright…You said we’re on a boat?”

“For most of the journey.”

“That’s so unnecessarily convoluted, why don’t we just take the chopper back to Base?” The gunslinger smirked knowingly.

“Because it doesn’t have enough fuel.”

“To get to FOXHOUND? What a piece of junk. Why does V want David alive now?” He assumed Venom had decided that he still wanted David on his workforce, so he was healing him and getting Ocelot to meddle with their memories. _(Why weren’t any of their uniforms familiar, then?)_

“We’re not going to FOXHOUND. He wants you both on _his_ base in South Africa. As of now you’re a member of Outer Heaven.”

“The fuck are you ranting about? What’s wrong with his base in Alaska?”

“Oh, you think Venom requested the change of directive? Didn't you notice that no one you've seen so far today is with FOXHOUND?” he chuckled. _What? Who else has the authority to tamper with his missions?_ “No. You see, they had a little talk not too long ago, and it was decided that – since you found service with FOXHOUND so disagreeable - both of you would be handed over for a place within his Outer Heaven. Assets like you are far too valuable to loose. Who knows, maybe he just wanted to meet his twins after all.” It was a lot to take in after coming out of a drug induced sleep.

“You’re not making any sense, are you senile already? Who on earth does V answer to, _who_ did he hand us to?” The answer was clear once he spoke the question out loud.

“Your father.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're confused = the 'Level' thing that keeps being mentioned is basically a scale used by Outer Heaven that determines how skilled/dangerous a soldier is. It goes: White > Green > Red > Purple > Black, with 'black' obviously being the highest and 'white' the lowest.  
> The average soldier would be 'white'.


	28. Chains and Shackles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just gonna abbreviate Outer Heaven to O.H. sometimes to save my fingers the few extra taps

Upon waking up Solid was immediately blinded by the intense florescent lights overhead. He raised a hand to block it out, feeling the weight of straps around his wrists. _Where am I?_ As his eyes adjusted he could see his surroundings coming into focus.

He was on a hospital bed, by himself in a square room. An ECG monitor beeped steadily beside him, placed next to a drip stand. Oxygen was being supplied to him via a face mask. _That’s right…we were on a helicopter…_

Gathering his strength he made to sit, feeling a sharp pain in his shoulder. He didn’t let it stop him. By the time he was upright he was exhausted, weak after the trauma his body had been through. _Oww…_

Both of his arms where tied to the bed. Since there was an IV in his left arm he began pulling with his right, wiggling the hand to try and slip it through the strap. It was on tight enough to scrape off some skin. The sharp burning was a small price to pay for freedom, though.

Once the bloodied hand eventually came loose he could begin untangling himself from the medical paraphernalia swarming over him. First he took off the mask and undid the restraint on his left hand. The needle of the IV stung as he pulled it out in one fluid movement, like removing a plaster. _That’s gonna bruise._

The electrode pads of the ECG peeled off easily, but their removal made the monitor panic and bleep shrilly.

“Shh.” he whispered to it, reaching out to switch it off. He couldn’t quite reach from the bed, so he drew back the thin covers and swung his legs out; half-standing half-falling from it. The EGC powered down, leaving him in blissful silence.

Now the worst part of the detachment came: removing the catheter he noticed was in when he stood up. He lifted his gown to get a look, feeling all the motivation drain out of him. _Maybe I should just lie back down._ Tentatively he pulled at it, feeling the tube shift from deep inside. _Uuuuugghhhh this is going to suck, isn’t it._

Although he didn’t know it he was very lucky – a nurse had already deflated the anchorage balloon while he was unconscious, with the intention of removing it before she was called urgently to another room to assist with a new arrival with a broken neck. All he had to do now was tug it out.

The quick sting of the needle was nothing compared to the sting as the tube came out. Most of the pain was psychological, he was obviously terrified of injuring himself in there.

When he was free the first thing he did was replace the gown with a pair of blue trousers from a scrub bin. He’d prefer not to have his ass out as he was running around.

There was no one guarding the door when he peeked outside. His room opened into a narrow metal corridor. _Am I on a boat?_ Both the rocking and architecture seemed to indicate it. A few doors down he could see people rushing around another room, talking hurriedly. _I’ll go in the opposite direction._

After turning a few corridors Solid began to wonder if he was going in circles. Each hallway he went through looked the same as the last. He nearly collided with someone rounding a corner. They didn’t recognise him; all they did was utter ‘sorry’ and carry on their way. Again it must have been luck – he didn’t exactly blend in with his scrubs and bandages around his bare chest.

 _Eli must be here somewhere. Where though? I can’t just ask someone, they might make me go back to the medical…place? Wing?_ Above each doorway the name of the corresponding area and directions were stencilled in bold letters.

**Med Deck**

**< Lower Cells        B Deck  >**

**< D. Engine Room                Messdeck  >**

_I suppose the best bet would be ‘cells’. By the way they tied him up on the chopper I’m guessing they’d have him under lock and key._ Checking that the coast was clear, Solid stepped into the next corridor and turned left. At the end was a stairwell that led down. This time the directions were painted onto a wall.

**^ D. Engine Room                Lower Cells >**

To his right was yet another descending flight of stairs. _Nearly there_. He took the metal grip steps two at a time, which was risky because he was still unsteady on his feet. The air was even colder down there.

“You made it, then.” _Shit_. Ocelot was leaning against one of the thick iron doors, twirling a Colt on an outstretched finger. “Can’t say I’m surprised. Not that the staff are incompetent…Snakes can be awful _slippery_ sometimes.”

“Where’s Eli?”

“In there.” he inclined his head to the door opposite him.

“Are you going to let me see him, or are you going to shoot me?”

“If I was going to shoot you, you’d already be dead.” _Smug bastard_. “I hope you don’t mind if I lock it behind you. Can’t have you both running around and causing a mess. Especially after the mess he made in the helicopter.”

“That’s fine.” Solid mumbled, walking up to pull the heavy crossbar bolt back.

“It’s locked.” Ocelot reached over his shoulder to show him the large key he held in a gloved hand. Without waiting for Solid to stand aside he slid it into the keyhole, trapping the clone in the small space between him and the door. The brunette failed to remember if he had ever been more uncomfortable in his life. “I’ll leave you two alone. I know how… _close_ you are.” he breathed down his neck.

Thoroughly creeped out, David was glad when he stepped through and was sealed in. At least now there was a locked hatch separating them. Past the inches of iron he could hear the spurs clinking away. _What the fuck was that?_ _He’s really weird._

Eli was lying at the back of the cell, fettered to the wall by his neck.

“Eli?” The links rattled as the blonde twisted to get a look at him.

“David!” he crawled forward, stopping short when the length of chain ran out. He couldn’t even reach halfway across the floor. David raced over, falling into his brother and knocking them both over onto the stripped mattress. “I’ve missed you! Are you ok?” he pulled back slightly to inspect the fresh bandages.

“I am now.” They canted their heads together, each sighing into the kiss gratefully. “Does this hurt?” David hooked his fingers under the collar on his neck.

“No, it’s just annoying.”

“Don’t you think it’s a bit much?”

“At least they took the straitjacket off.” Eli ran his palms along his back, dipping under the waistband on the stolen trousers. “Mmh, nothing underneath?”

“This is more than I woke up in.”

“And more than you’re about to be in.” The fabric was sliding off him slowly. “There aren’t any cameras.” Eli assured him when he checked the ceiling over his shoulder. With a little shuffling and cooperation they were both undressed, their O.H. clothing discarded.

David pulled a blanket over them to stay the chill, settling to lie on top of his twin. They held onto each other, trailing their hands over the skin. “I’ve been waiting for this.”

“Me too.” Eli spread his legs to hook them around the other, grabbing onto an ass cheek.

“Put it inside me again, David.” _Happily_.

“We don’t have any lube.”

“Just spit on it, it’ll be fine!” The brunette obliged, choosing instead to use his brother’s saliva. He shoved his fingers into his mouth and Eli got to work without any further instruction; sucking and laving his tongue over them eagerly. When they were withdrawn the slick fluid was dripping thickly. _Perfect_.

Raising his pelvis out of the way, he reached down to feel along to the right spot. Eli sighed when he was entered, his eyes fluttering shut. They were soon screwed up as David pressed into his prostate, eliciting a shaky gasp. “Hurry up, I can’t wait any longer!”

“Sure you’re ready?” Usually it took more time to loosen him up.

“Yes, I’m ready.” David lined himself up and pressed in, groaning as he felt the blonde envelop him. Access to Eli’s neck was blocked by the fetter, so he mouthed along his jaw instead. “Move.”

He started off slowly, getting accustomed to the intense sensation of being inside him. The walls squeezed and quivered around him, pulling him in.

“You feel so good, baby…” He was beginning to see the appeal in the name-calling. He still wasn’t sure about being called ‘daddy’, but calling Eli ‘baby’ just seemed to fit.

“Ah, yeah…you’re so big!”

“I think it’s just that you’re so _tight_.” David felt his twin whimper and tense momentarily, tightening even more. The rolling of his hips steadily got faster. Each time he pushed all the way in he would grunt and Eli would give a high pitched moan. A very slight shift in position received some very positive feedback.

“ _Yes_ , that’s it! Ahh, right there!” Eli liquefied, going weak with the pleasure. _Fuck, that’s so hot!_

“Do you like that?”

“Yes, _God_ yes! Don’t stop, daddy, don’t stop!” He didn’t plan to. Judging by how much of a mess he was David suspected Eli wouldn’t last much longer. Neither would he, he could feel the pressure rising to the point of explosion.

As he predicted Eli was the first to come, scraping his nails hard into the skin on his ass and back, crying out rapturously. He followed a second later, thrusting in so deep they were like to fuse together. Coming down from their impossible high made them drowsy. The dull pain in David’s shoulder had been aggravated in their excitement, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

Now that the bed was warmed up they lay down, calm after the burst of activity. “Did they tell you where we’re going?” Eli mumbled into his neck.

“No, I only woke up a little while ago. Do you know?”

“…Yeah. Actually, there’s something I think I should have told you a while ago…I don’t know why I didn’t earlier. I suppose it didn’t matter. Or maybe I just don’t like acknowledging it, I dunno…”

“What is it then?” The way he was speaking was very ominous.

“Well…the Big Boss you knew at FOXHOUND…wasn’t the real Big Boss. Venom’s not our father.” _WHAT._

“What? How – what do you mean?”

“The real Big Boss is who we’re on our way to see. He’s running another mercenary, uh, place in South Africa, so -”

“Wait, how is he not the real Big Boss? I don’t get it – h-how – _what?_ ”

“In the helicopter crash that he was in after the destruction of the first Mother Base our father went into a coma, and was…duplicated, for want of a better word. Some other guy in the crash was made to…well, _be_ him. Same looks, same memories, same skill. A phantom.”

“What the fuck?” How many more crazy conspiracies were involved in his family?

“I’ve never met him. The real one. V calls his Ishmael, but I dunno if that’s his real name. I’ve heard people think it’s John Doe because of a joke they didn’t get or something.”

“…What?”

“Anyway, that’s why we were picked up and not killed. Ishmael wants us in his service instead.”

“So, we’re just being passed to another snake? Christ, I can’t keep up! Why didn’t you tell me before, it’s quite the major fucking big deal!”

“I didn’t think it was relevant! Wait, that came out wrong. I didn’t say anything because _at the time_ , it wasn’t relevant…kind of.”

“Oh my God, the rabbit hole just keeps on fuckin’ going…” David felt he might drown under it all. This year had definitely been the most outlandish and unbelievable of his life _. First I find out I’m a clone, then I fall in love with my clone brother, then it turns out the person I thought I was cloned from is also just a copy..._ “Is there anything else you want to tell me while you’re opening up? Any more family members hanging around?”

“…Are you mad?”

“Little bit, yeah.”

“At me?”

“Kinda. Mostly I just wish you’d told me earlier.”

“Ok…well, while we’re on the subject, we have a younger clone brother too.” David just sighed and rubbed his face in his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So confused... :3


	29. The Wendy House

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took a while again, I kept re-writing it to get it juuust right :3

The last leg of the journey was executed over land, in a large vehicle similar to a police van. It only took a few hours from the shipping port; Galzburg was close to the coast.

They arrived at a perimeter gate of Outer Heaven at 1:37 pm. Immediately it was apparent that the facility was in something of a different league to FOXHOUND. The smooth concrete walls were thirty feet high as opposed to the Alaskan base’s twenty, and crowned with thick loops of barbed wire.

A klaxon sounded briefly as the armoured van was ushered through the entrance, cutting off once it was sealed behind it. The twins woke up from their nap when the blaring began. Both of them were chained up in the back, the muzzles re-attached. No one accompanied them this time.

Another twenty minutes of starting and stopping passed before they reached their destination. The sliding peephole used as a window from the front seats to the back was drawn over.

“Wakey wakey. We’re here.” It snapped shut again.

“Let’s see where ‘here’ is.” Eli mumbled. Light flooded into the compartment as the doors swung open. Soldiers silhouetted against the bright backdrop climbed in, checking the restraints on their limbs and unlocking their connection to the wall of the van. A quick tug on the leash of their hand shackles told them to start moving.

Ocelot was the first face to greet them as they hopped out into the baking African sun. The wave of heat that washed over them emphasised just how far they were from Alaska.

“Hello boys. Welcome to your new home.” They were standing in a large courtyard, big enough to fit FOXHOUND’s Intel building in twice with room to spare. The walls were made from the same smooth, pale cement, and the ground was levelled with tarmac. Parts were sectioned off with chain-link fencing and more barbed wire, like a prison yard. _Like pens_ the blonde thought.

All around more soldiers were milling about. Some had stopped to watch their arrival, as they had on the _Ophiuchus._

“Whatever.” Liquid huffed. Ocelot ignored the commentary, motioning the restraining soldiers on. Together they all marched to a wide building that backed onto the courtyard.

“Boss wants to see you right away. The tour of your permitted area will have to wait.”

“Permitted area?” Solid spoke up. Their voices were slightly muffled by the masks.

“As you’ve been told already, soldiers with a high Level are restricted from certain areas…Since yours is the highest you’re restricted from all areas but the yard and parts of this building.” He led the little procession, gesturing around dramatically with his red gloved hands.

“Shouldn’t people with a higher rank get access to _more_ places?”

“Level isn’t the same as rank. The restrictions are for everyone’s safety, including your own.”

“That sounds like bullshit.” Liquid chimed in, ignored once again. “The people here must be fucking useless if we’re so dangerous. I mean, _we are_ better than them; but this seems like overkill.” One of the soldiers guiding Liquid turned his head to share a disapproving look with his colleague. “You got something to fucking say mate?” The heads whipped back forward. _Yeah, that’s what I thought._

“Now now, you’ll have plenty of time to peacock around later.” Once inside the building the thick doors shut and locked behind them. Two of the soldiers started unchaining them, the others pointing readied stun guns at them.

Liquid didn’t fancy getting shocked again, but the temptation to gnash his teeth at the nearest guy was too much. They jumped out of their skin, and the blonde snickered. The story of what had happened on the chopper had reached the O.H. Base, then. He wasn’t really going to bite him, he was just being a dick. It was fun.

With Ocelot still guiding them, they wound their way around a maze of corners and up a few staircases. The presence of the soldiers and the fact that they were sealed into the building with no way to escape was deterrence enough to stop the snakes from misbehaving.

An ordinary door at the end of the last hallway made Eli’s hairs stand on end. His father was behind it, he could almost _feel_ him there. Finally, after twenty years of living in his absent contempt, he was going to meet him. He always thought they would come face-to-face before a fight to the death. Preferably not his.

 Ocelot dismissed the others with a wave of his hand, beckoning the twins with the other to follow him to the door.

“After all these years he still has you on babysitting duty, huh?”

“Can’t say the years have mended your attitude.” Before he could retaliate the Russian knocked, calling ‘Snake’ through the painted wood. Without waiting for an answer he entered, the twins reluctantly following suit. They gave each other a quick look as they crossed the threshold.

The air was heavy with smoke, twirling mesmerisingly from the end of a lit cigar. Lounging on a chair with his feet crossed on the desk was the legend himself. It was a familiar scene, much like V’s office on the other side of the world.

Snake wasn’t even looking at them when they entered, more interested in the zippo lighter he was flicking on and off. Just as Ocelot was about to wake him up from the trance the clicking stopped, and the zippo was clutched in a tight fist.

He turned his head minutely to cast his pale, disinterested gaze over each of them for a second before going back to his original position.

“Thanks.” he spoke at the wall, but his old ally knew what he meant; leaving the three of them alone without a word. For some reason Eli wanted him to stay. The wannabe cowboy still annoyed him as an adult, but he would take all the protection he could get from this monster.

None of them spoke for a tense minute. Eli had always wanted to scream bloody murder at him and now the words failed him. The elder was the first to speak. “So. My boys.” Snake gave them a predatory smile that reminded David of the ones Eli used to give him in Iraq. Disturbed. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Are you?” David asked with a lot more confidence than he felt.

“Of course. Why don’t you both come give your Daddy a kiss?”

“ _Fuck_ you.” Eli spat. That was the most hurtful thing the blonde could manage to say. The raging hurricane of obscenities and hate tearing away in his brain refused to be translated by his tongue. It was more than a little infuriating.

Their father laughed. Not the empty, false sound that Venom made - it was like he was laughing at a malicious joke only he could hear, which was much more sinister.

“There’s that fire I’ve heard so much about. I can tell you were wasted in Alaska. Ahab’s keeping up the ‘good Boss’ appearance for me while I deal with some of the more dirty work, but your time in the Samaritan’s club is over.” He pulled the cigar from his lips, sighing the fumes out.

“What is it someone like _you_ would consider dirty work?”

“Ah, little Eli.” The way he said his name gave him a flashback of the insidious serpent that had haunted his dreams for so long. “I won’t bore you with the details. You’ll be doing mercenary work, more or less. That’s all you need to worry about.”

Eli wondered how much damage he could do if he launched himself at him, before his father snapped his neck like a dry twig. Not enough. It wasn’t worth giving Snake the satisfaction of ending his life over a scratch. “I’ll have Ocelot show you around later. I’m sure you’ll love your new vivarium.” _Very funny._

“You mean prison.” David scowled. “You’re just gonna separate us again.”

“So dramatic…Call it what you want, it’s your home now. And no, I’m not going to separate you. I know you’re fucking each other , but I don’t really give a shit. Do what you like - just do your job too and you’ll be fine.” He was too busy studying the chewed end of his cigar to catch the astonishment on their faces.

“R-really?”

“Yes _r-r-r-r_ eally.” Suddenly an idea came to him, and the vulturous expression returned with a low chuckle. “ Oh, but it is conditional.”

“…What are the conditions?” David asked suspiciously.

“Well, you two will have to put on a little _show_ for me every now and then. It can get boring around here, after all. ” It didn’t take long for them to figure out what he meant.

“No! No fucking way, I’d rather die than-than -” The memory of what V had done to him rose up, making Eli loose track and stutter.

“Hm, then I’ll arrange a funeral and individual accommodation. Say bye bye.”

“You’re sick!” The brunette son yelled.

“So I’ve been told.”

“Isn’t there something else we can do? I’m not – we can’t do that!” Just picturing Boss watching them star in his own personal peep-show made David queasy. _That’s so perverted! I can’t believe I was cloned from this guy, I’d never make someone do something like that!_

“Can’t or won’t? Let me make it easy for you: do as I say or you’ll never touch each other again. I’m giving you a choice here boys, any other time you would have to do as I tell you, _period_. ”

~

The ‘tour’ hadn’t taken very long. The building they were in must have been specifically tailored to house them. All entrances and exits (save for one that led to a chain-link paddock they had seen outside) had two consecutive metal doors to prevent escape if anyone came in or out, like an enclosure at a zoo.

There was a gym, a training hall, a mini clinic, a small library (which thankfully had a TV too), a few empty rooms whose use had yet to be decided and Big Boss’ newly appointed second office. He had only used it that day to meet them; his usual place was in a different sector altogether. Because of their new _arrangement_ , Snake wanted a place near the twins.

Out of the two choices Snake had given them, they had decided to take the one that let them stay together. Of course they weren’t happy about the terms, but they had silently agreed on the spot that it was a necessary evil. After all the shit they had been through, they couldn’t just give up. Not yet. Their father had told them to be in the office the next day, before lunch.

They wondered around their new bedroom, toying with the appliances and throwing themselves on the furniture to test it. Eli took off a boot and lobbed it at the one security camera high on the wall, managing to smash it to pieces after a few misses. The two separate double beds were pushed together.

Under the ground floor they had been given a large chamber as their bedroom, joined with an equally large bathroom. It was sparsely furnished - it had the beds, a table and chairs and a sofa. In the bathroom was a shower, toilet and sink.

“This place is like a creepy giant doll’s house. Is this supposed to be our home or isolation in a mental institution?” Eli had complained when they had been herded in there.

“Aren’t those two one and the same for you?” Ocelot smirked and made his way to the door, waving over his shoulder at the snakes. _Asshole._

Now alone in their room they lay on the makeshift quadruple bed, staring at the spotlight bulbs fixed into the lofty ceiling.

“Do you think we’ll get out of here?” Solid whispered.

“I hope so.”

“Soon?”

“I hope so.”

“What do you think he’ll do to us tomorrow?”

“…I don’t know. It sounded like he just wants to watch, but…I don’t know.”

“Do you think he’s gonna touch us? God, I’d give anything for us to be somewhere else. We just can’t catch a break, can we?”


	30. Lesson One

The next day came far too quickly. Neither of them slept well the night before, only managing to drift off because they were completely exhausted. Upon waking they instantly remembered what was coming.

The lack of natural daylight made it impossible to estimate the time. There was an analogue clock on the wall opposite the broken security camera. Since there were no windows below ground level it glowed in the dark, the usual dim green of phosphorescent material.

“It’s already nine o’clock.” David whispered to his brother, who had also just woken up.

“Yeah. When are we going to go up?”

“…Do you think he’ll get mad if we just stay here?” Of course he already knew the answer, but he needed more convincing.

“He’ll be fucking furious.”

“Then we might as well get it over with” He didn’t want to spend another minute more than he had to worried sick about it. It was the same principle as with anything undesirable: the sooner it’s started, the sooner it’s over.

The fact that he had no idea exactly what to expect didn’t help either. What would he want them to do? How often would he want them to do it? Perhaps most importantly, would _he_ be joining in?

He’d never been intimate with anyone but Eli. He didn’t want to be intimate with anyone but Eli. But, if that was the price he had to pay to stay with his twin, so be it. _If I close my eyes, maybe I can pretend he’s not there._ David prayed that Big Boss would be as unobtrusive as possible. _He won’t be, though. If he’s not touching, then he’ll be insulting us the whole time._

The brunette hadn’t admitted it to the other, but he was scared. For all he knew their father might rape them, or at the very least be rough and abusive. That one quick meeting had told David all he needed to know about the legendary mercenary.

He was a monster, more frightening than any criminal because absolutely no one in the entire world had the power to stop him; even if they knew the extent of his crimes, even if he paraded around in front of them. _No one. Not me, not Eli or Fox or Miller or even Venom! He’s untouchable, like he’s a god or something. No, not a god – a demon_.

“Fair enough. Let’s hope we give the old fuck a heart attack and kill him.” Eli slipped out from under the covers, still dressed in the same clothes he had worn on the _Ophiuchus_. So was David. They laced up their boots in silence, hands trembling with their nerves.

It was much warmer on the other levels of the building. Morning sunlight streamed in through the steel barred windows, heating thin stripey rectangles onto the tiled floor where it fell. The blonde brought it up to fill the silence with some conversation, but it was just as soon dropped. Temperature was the last thing they should be worrying about.

There was no one else there but them. Their footsteps echoed unusually loudly, almost making it sound like they were being followed by an invisible pursuer.

What had been an indecipherable network yesterday had become a simple route of corridors and steps. They both had an amazing sense of direction, so taking the way twice either direction had given them a clear mental map. Now the gift felt like a curse, as it got them to the office much faster. Even though they had agreed to ‘get it over and done with’ they were still dreading it.

A nameplate reading ‘Big Boss’ had already been fitted to the dark wooden door. _He doesn’t waste much time, does he?_ The twins stood looking at the barrier, neither one wanting to knock or enter. A few times Eli raised a hand as though to rap on the door, lowering it before he did.

“Are you going to knock, or just stand there like idiots?” Snake’s deep, rough voice rumbled past it. David was the one to turn the knob and peek in. His father was in the same position as the previous day, feet propped casually on the desk and cigar in his mouth. “Did I say you could come in?”

The door was carefully shut again, and they went back to staring at it. An exasperated sigh could be heard from inside. “Just get in here, would you?” He tried the entrance again, this time stepping in to let his brother follow.

They stood awkwardly in front of the desk, being scrutinised by the elder. “Hm. Go take a shower and change clothes.”

“What?” Eli blurted.

“You look like roadkill, and I can smell you from here. Go. Clean. Up.”

“N-now?”

“No, next year. Yes _now!_ Fucking hell…”

~

Their last proper clean had been before their escape from FOXHOUND. It was really no wonder Boss had ordered them to freshen up, but it still felt like he was doing it to fuck with them.

The beds were divans that had drawers fixed into the bases. New clothes had been folded into them, discovered when one of the curious snakes noticed the seams of the compartments and pulled one out. It was all plain, white and grey and khaki and boring. It all fit, though.

They had t-shirts, tank tops, jumpers (Not that they’d have much use for them), socks, underwear, trousers and shorts and tracksuit bottoms. They even had a brand new pair of combat boots each.

The brothers jumped in the spacious shower cubicle same together – not for fun, but to save time. Their father had made it clear that they were to be as quick as possible. Avoiding his anger seemed like a very good idea. Kitted out in their new clothes and stiff shoes that would definitely take some wearing in, they hurried back to the office.

“That’s better. Was that so hard?” Snake taunted on their second arrival. His mocking tone was suddenly replaced by a serious one. “Don’t _ever_ come here in that state again. I want you both to be clean.” Then, just as suddenly, he switched to a devious tone. “Getting you dirty is my job, after all.”

David’s heart sank. The reality of the situation kept sinking in deeper by the second. _How did I get myself into this?_ “Now that that’s out of the way…what shall we do today?” He leaned further back into the leather chair, smirking around the cigar. “Hmm…”

Snake drummed his fingers slowly on the desk, pondering his options. There were a lot of them. “How about we start off nice and easy. David, suck his dick.” _What?!_ “Are you deaf?” he hissed when David hesitated.

“Um…where should we…”

“Sit there.” Their father gestured to another chair resting against the wall. Eli pulled it over, angling it to give Snake a good side-on view and seating himself unsurely after some more prompting. “Do you need me to talk you through it?”

“No.” David got to his knees before his brother, fingers slipping on the button and zip of the trousers due to his shaking. _Eli must be so embarrassed._ Not only would he have to get himself out in front of Boss, but he would also have to orgasm in front of him too; if Boss wanted it to go that far (why wouldn’t he?). Something like that was very personal, certainly not something one should have to do in a situation like this.

Eli was surprisingly already half hard when he pulled him free from his underwear. He didn’t waste any time in getting started, wanting to hurry for the blonde’s sake.

“You’re terrible at that. Does that even feel pleasurable at all?” Snake commented as the brunette was sliding over the shaft, using his hand to make up for what his mouth couldn’t reach. Eli didn’t respond, he was too busy looking pointedly away from Big Boss and gripping onto the flimsy armrests.

 _Am I really that bad?_ Eli didn’t seem to think so, he was beginning to pant and squirm. When the first little noise passed his lips Snake’s heckling picked up. “Speak up, I can’t hear you!” He pursed his mouth instead. “Are you trying to disappoint me, or does it just come naturally to you? I would have thought you would love to put on a show for me.”

David felt like he needed to stick up for his brother, yet at the same time he knew it was pointless. Here they were more vulnerable than they had ever been. He would probably be safer in a fist fight with a lion. “Maybe if I call you ‘baby’, you’ll be more compliant.”

The dark haired twin stuttered in his movements, picking back up quickly and hoping neither of them had noticed. _How does he know Eli likes that?! How! He must have been spying on us. On the boat – there were no cameras, but there must have been microphones!_

In truth there hadn’t been any microphones there. Snake had heard some very interesting things from Venom, in great detail. He even sent some very interesting photos, too. Photos of Liquid. He couldn’t have been given a better opportunity to prey on what they found most appealing. Mixing the bad with some inescapably visceral, primal good was the perfect catalyst for Stockholm syndrome, after all.

It was becoming increasingly difficult for the blonde to stay still and quiet. As he made to cover his mouth with a hand Snake had warned: “Don’t you dare.” Eli bit his lip, struggling greatly to be composed as he felt his climax building. “Stop now.”

The twins turned to look at him questioningly. “That was embarrassing to watch, you give head like a corpse.” David bit back the urge to say ‘I’ve never had any complaints’. Who the hell did he think he was? He was the one who asked for all this, and now he bitches about it?

“I’m sorry sir, but it’s the best I can do.” Snake glared at him threateningly, hearing the sarcasm clearly.

“Is it, now? Hm. You _were_ both sent here for training, so I suppose some training is in order. Since you’re both so bold, I’m guessing you still need a lesson on exactly where your place is. You don’t call the shots. In case you’re prone to forget, you both have to call me Daddy in here.”

In a matter of time they would use it as a sign of respect, and gladly speak it to him. He had a feeling Liquid would be quicker on the uptake where that was concerned – he had major daddy issues. Solid must have too, to a lesser degree. If not then he soon would. The issues would make manipulating them easier. “Understood?”

The boys nodded. David was screaming on the inside, keeping up his poker-face. Unbeknownst by him, his father had perfected it decades before, and was able to see right through it. “Yes?”

“Yes Daddy.” They both mumbled. Snake wondered if Liquid was having déjà vu from all the fun Venom had had with him before. He hoped so. The more association he had between then and now the better.

Eli tried to tuck himself away sheepishly, and was immediately reprimanded. “Uh-uh, we’re not done yet.” He took something out of a drawer in the desk and flung it at David, who caught it perfectly. It was a bottle of lube. “Fuck him.”

“What?”

“You heard. _Fuck him_.”

“…No.” Snake couldn’t say he was surprised by the defiance. His sons were wild, having gone too long without discipline. They needed to be subjugated. He sighed, balancing his cigar to an ashtray and getting smoothly up from the chair.

Within seconds he had rounded the desk, fist connecting with the left side of Solid’s face. As he was reeling from the first blow Snake winded him with a kick to the stomach, adding another one once Solid fell to his side.

“What was that?” he asked, leaning in and cupping a hand behind his ear.

“No!”

“Jesus Christ, David, stop it!” Eli cried, unable to look away as his brother received a harsh backhanded slap across his already injured face. Snake dug his fingers into the healing bullet wound, making his son shriek and curl up into the pain. “Stop, stop it _please_!”

Their father released his vice-like hold, standing up to dust himself off.

“Disobedience is to be expected during your first lesson, I suppose. Make sure you know this is the last time you’ll get off so lightly.” Solid had gone pale, blood from the torn stitches seeping through his new t-shirt. “Each time you misbehave you’ll both get punished. Eli, take your clothes off.”

The blonde didn’t need to be told twice. He was more scared than humiliated at this point. This was exactly how he imagined his father would be. Once he was undressed Snake grabbed him by his golden hair, yanking him off the chair and onto the floor. “Get on your hands and knees.” He did, getting pulled by his hair again so he was facing his brother.

Snake got down behind him, unbuckling his belt with one hand and reaching for the lubricant with the other. Eli was trembling visibly, returning his twin’s look of apology.

Big Boss pushed in without stretching him first. Eli yelled, trying desperately to hold himself up on weak arms. Even his first time didn’t hurt as much. It hurt more being taken without consent. David vividly remembered the fever dream he had had in the forest, where the demonic phantom had used Eli in much the same way. He felt he would vomit if he tried to speak.

Each time the blonde turned his head away from David it was jerked back by Snake. “Show him how much you love it, baby.” _I HATE IT!_ Eli screamed in his mind, tears streaming down his face. _I HATE IT, I HATE THIS, I HATE YOU!_

Eli _was_ hating it, but his traitorous body was enjoying how it was being rubbed in all the right places. The sharp stabbing was fading quickly away, though Snake wasn’t being gentle at all - he was slamming into him roughly, gouging crescents on the skin of his hips.

It took all of his self-control not to broadcast the unwanted pleasure. The moaning he could do nothing about; it was physically impossible not to when being penetrated, whether it was because you were enjoying it or not. He had never felt so ashamed of himself, even though it wasn't his fault.

His orgasm was approaching much too fast. If he could just last longer than Snake then maybe it wouldn’t ruin everything for him. How could he convince either of them that he really had hated it if there was evidence like that against him? _Please believe me, David! I’m sorry!_

“ _Ahh_ , ah ah _ah!_ ” He came hard, rolling his hips back automatically to keep Boss in as deep as he could. Thankfully he wasn’t forced back to David when he bowed his head. He couldn’t bear to look at him now. _I’m sorry!_

Snake pulled out a minute or so later, shooting over Eli’s back. Within another minute he was back behind the desk, cigar replaced in his mouth and boots on the polished wood. The twins were both lying on the floor, bleeding and crying. Eli was pulling his clothes back on, shaking violently.

“You’re dismissed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It probably goes without saying, but I don't condone any of the shit in this fic.  
> Don't try this at home, but you can read it at home :3


	31. Laps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another amazing fanart done by @kazahegao on tumblr:  
> http://kazahegao.tumblr.com/post/156323454827/another-part-from-that-fic-3  
> *insert that emoji that's just a red 100 that's underlined*

A medic was called to the building’s clinic to re-stitch David’s wound. They didn’t ask him what had happened, or about the haunted look on his face. He was checked for broken bones and given an ice pack for the bruise on his cheek.

Back in his room Eli was lying on their bed under the covers. His hair was still wet from the scalding hot shower he had taken while the brunette was being treated. David took the rest of his clothes off and joined him, resting the pack in place.

“You ok?” It was a stupid question, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“Not really.” _Me neither._ Whatever he felt he knew his brother had it worse. It was one thing to be made to watch your lover be raped, but quite another to get raped yourself.

Clearly it had been torture, even if he had come. The expression of anguish and agony he had been wearing told David all he needed to know about how he had felt. Arousal and consent are two very different things.

Eli, on the other hand, was extremely disturbed and confused about what his body’s reaction was supposed to mean. He _knew_ that he hadn’t liked it, definitely, but…what if it meant he secretly had? Even if he didn’t know it himself? He had fantasised about his father raping him before. Maybe his mind was trying to tell him something.

“Here. The medic gave me some painkillers.” He pulled a pill from under his tongue, offering it to his twin.

“That’s supposed to be for you.” Eli didn’t want to deprive the other of the relief, his injuries were definitely more painful.

“And I’m giving it to you. I’ve been given some already.” What he had been given had been a lower dose of an NSAID to go with it, but Eli didn’t need to know that. David pushed it past his lips, giving Eli a sudden flashback to his time at Venom’s house, where he was continually given sedatives to keep him under control.

“What is it?” he questioned before he swallowed.

“Codeine.” The golden snake was tempted to ask if he was sure, but he trusted his brother to tell him the truth. If it wasn’t what he said it was, it was the medic’s fault. He took it without a drink.

~

“Again.” Solid chambered a new cartridge and spied through the scope, lining the crosshairs up with the distant target. He made sure the shot was as precise as he could manage and pulled the trigger. It hit just shy of the bullseye, which was only a centimetre in diameter. “Again.”

They were at the other side of their building, at an outdoor firing range. It was still closed in by towering walls, though the yard was so big they couldn’t be seen past the wavering heat. The illusion of not being penned in wasn’t strong enough for the twins, though.

“We’ve been doing this for _hours_ , can’t we take a break?”

“You’ve been taking a break for the last thirty minutes.” Ocelot turned to where Eli was lying on the ground, stretching his limbs out in the sun. The crack of the rifle sounded again, followed by a muttered ‘shit’ when the brunette missed the bullseye again. He was never pushed this hard at FOXHOUND, what Big Boss as asking of them was near impossible.

“Yeah, a well-deserved one. I hit the target, didn’t I?” What he had actually done was get so frustrated that he stormed the great distance up to the mark and shot it point-blank, marching back over to throw the gun at Ocelot and lie down on the ground in a strop.

Up until that point he had been doing just as well as David, but their mentor’s unencouraging encouragement had snapped his temper. Half an hour later his anger had been forgotten, replaced by boredom.

“You’ll never improve if you keep cutting corners, Eli.”

“Oh fuck _off_ with that, how are we supposed to hit something that’s a million miles away?! Even Quiet wouldn’t have been able to make that shot, this is bullshit!”

“If you have complaints why not save them for your father?” It had been two weeks since they had first arrived at Outer Heaven. Snake had called them back only once since their first ‘lesson’ to educate them on fellatio by choking and nearly suffocating them. They hadn’t been able to speak or swallow anything for an entire day afterwards.

“I don’t think so.”

“Then shush.” Ocelot also thought that their training was ridiculously hard, but he would never say so. It wasn’t just their marksmanship being tested, it was everything:

their hand-to-hand combat (in which CQC was taught to them by Big Boss himself),

their endurance (in which they were made to run laps until they literally passed out),

their reflexes (they had to think and act fast or get hurt),

their tolerance to pain (which was tested daily, but more _intensive_ methods were yet to come),

extreme conditions and stress (also tested daily, with more intensive methods already applied. They would be locked in a freezer or overheated chamber for hours at a time. Sometimes they had to find the way out themselves)

and their intelligence, their linguistics, their knowledge on every weapon imaginable.

Needless to say their trips to the clinic were on a near daily basis. Boss wanted them to be the best, so the best they would be; not matter what it took. Seeing the dark circles under their eyes and the new cuts and bruises on them each day was _almost_ enough to make Ocelot feel sorry for them. Almost.

“Why can’t I sit in the shade?”

“Because you’ll cause trouble if you’re not in sight.” David was using their conversation as an opportunity to rest himself, rubbing his strained eyes. It was hot out in the open, as hot as it had been in Iraq and more humid. Even so, he suspected his brother’s reason for seeking the shade wasn’t entirely to do with the heat.

Since they spent at least an hour in the sun each day they were both tanning. Their little paddock in the courtyard had been obscured by a canvas tarpaulin so they didn’t harass the guards patrolling on the other side of the fences, like the compound they had seen in Iraq what felt like a lifetime ago.

Eli used the privacy to sunbathe naked, eliminating his tan-lines. David asked him why he bothered, it wasn’t like _he_ cared about them. His twin had said he preferred himself without them. The brunette usually stayed inside where it was cool to read, going back out every hour or so to wake Eli up when he fell asleep in the sun.

Somehow his brother never got burnt. David wondered how on earth he did it. He was getting a tan too, but not to the same degree. If he looked really closely at Eli’s face he could see faint sun freckles on his nose.

“Can I have a break too?” he tried. Ocelot pulled back the cuff of his long sleeve to check his expensive watch with a sigh.

“Fine. It’s time to wrap it up anyway. You’ve got twenty minutes until your next session.”

“What is it again?”

“Endurance.”

“I fucking _hate_ endurance, we’re going to end up dead from this training!” Eli eased himself up from the ground to slink back inside with his twin, the doors locking tight behind them so O.H soldiers could enter the yard.

If their next slot was anything else they would have had sex during the twenty minutes of peace, but they knew they should conserve their energy as much as possible. So far endurance had been overseen by Ocelot as well (“Doesn’t anyone _else_ work here?” Liquid had growled when he showed up yet again), who only had to sit looking incredibly bored with a pair of stopwatches and time how long it took until they dropped.

The laps were done in the same quad as the firing range, around a track trampled into the dirt. One lap was roughly 400 metres, more or less the same distance as a standard running track. It wasn’t as uniform in shape, but it was flat and wide.

Their best, longest time out of the three sessions prior had been an hour and fifty minutes. As though their father were purposely trying to kill them, it was always done in the hours when the sun was at its highest.

This time even David went shirtless, the both of them wearing a pair of the running shorts dredged up from their divans. Sadly they had no running shoes to go with it, having to make do with the combat boots.

Someone had been in to clear away the rifles and targets. Ocelot sat on a plastic chair in the shade of the building, writing Cyrillic script notes into the margins of a German book on abnormal psychology. He saved the page with the pen, retrieving the two stopwatches from under the chair.

“Get on with it then, boys.”

“What’cha reading?” The blonde snake was suspicious of the thick, plain book and Ocelot’s need to hide the pages. He showed them the cover, knowing neither of them could read or speak German.

“Do you know what it says?”

“It says ‘go to hell and eat a dick, stop making us do laps’.”

“Not quite. Get going.” Together the twins ambled over to the track, starting up a pace slightly faster than a jog. The pace would be kept until they physically couldn’t achieve it any longer. They had just missed midday by quarter of an hour, and the sun was pounding down on the top of their heads.

At the sixty and eighty minute mark they each stopped respectively to vomit, carrying on as soon as the retching ceased. As much as they hated it, they were too stubborn to give in. That quality reminded Ocelot of their father. Although the brothers (mostly Eli) were difficult at times, it was quite the opportunity to teach them.

It really _would_ have been a waste not to clone Snake, even if all his children (mostly Eli) were backward in some way.

At the hundred minute mark Eli felt like he was literally dying. Because of the monotony of the running it was easy to fall into a trance-like rhythm, but now each step was an ordeal. If he slowed to a stop Ocelot would tell his father that he had given up, and God only knew what Snake would make of that.

He didn’t think Ocelot would bother reporting his sulking during target practice earlier – the guns left him in too good of a mood (he hoped).

As he was approaching the bend that ran closest to the building alongside David the beating of their feet in his ears suddenly stopped, replaced by a high ringing. His vision cut out a second later, and a second after that he was unconscious.

~

He came to, still on the ground. He was in the shade, so he could see without the light blinding him.

While he had been out someone had moved him back into his paddock. A blanket propped up on two sticks kept the sun off him, and the tarp over the fencing had been rolled back enough to let a soldier douse him with a garden hose.

There was a guard rail a metre’s length from the fencing to stop people going right up to the chain-link. The soldier wasn’t paying much attention, just flicking the water side to side while he leaned on the rail chatted with a medic.

Eli tried to get up, only able to slide his arm along the ground weakly. This caught the medic’s eye, and he refocussed on the snake.

“Ah, you are awake. How are you feeling?” He had an accent, _Russian_ thought the blonde. The soldier shut off the hose for a moment so his voice could be heard. Eli’s throat was dry, so he sufficed to use sign language instead. He gave them the finger. “Yes, very good. You are a very lucky snake, yes? Even too much heat is bad for a snake, ha!” _No, Ukrainian._

Eli gathered his depleted strength and rolled onto his back, closer and still in the shade. “Which one is this?” the medic mumbled to the soldier, who replied:

“Uh, I think this one is Liquid.”

“Ah, Liquid.” He pronounced it ‘likid’. “We have not met yet, I am Dr. Tyszczenko. I am employed by your father.”

“No shit.” Eli whispered hoarsely.

“I treat all of the, ehh, _deviative_ humans on Base. You and your brother are the new additions!”

“What the fuck is he on about?” The soldier holding the hose shrugged back. “Turn the water back on.” Eli’s body was on fire, inside and out. He hadn’t realised how much the watering was helping until it was turned off.

Dr. Tyszczenko was still speaking to him, but he turned his head away and ignored him.

Ocelot came up to the fence as the doctor was walking away, resting his forearms on the rail.

“Being as kind as usual?” He gave him the finger too. “I thought so.”

“Where’s David?”

“I told him to stay inside. He’s faring better than you.”

“Good. What’s with creepy? Does our father want him to slice us up or something?” Eli waved vaguely after the Ukrainian.

“He’s something of a specialist. Due to the nature of some of the soldiers on Base, Boss thought it would be a good idea to have his…expertise.”

“Expertise in what?” His head was swimming, and all the new information he’d received upon waking up hurt.

“Your father will explain more tomorrow. If you’re up for it, I’ve talked him into letting you on another tour of some other places on Base.”

“Yippee.” the blonde said dully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So your eyes don't implode each time you have to read it, Tyszczenko is pronounced 'tishchenko'.  
> I don't really want to insert made up characters, but it helps segue into the next part of the story.  
> :3


	32. Headache

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the thousandth time, sorry for the wait. I've been snowed under with work, but I'm still down to write *thumbs up*

David dreamt that he was running, running through a field of swaying white flowers. He was a child again, his head barely clearing the tops of the plants. There was no sound but the swishing of his legs past the leaves. He was looking for someone, though he couldn’t remember who; just that it was important that he found them.

The silence was broken by a sharp clap like thunder, seeming to shake the ground it was that loud. It had come from in front of him, so he picked up the pace and continued toward it.

He saw someone standing in the field, a man, facing away from him. David slowed down as he came closer.

“Hello?” The stranger didn’t turn around. Little David was familiar with the uniform he was wearing. “Mr. Army Man?” Still no reaction. He crept around to see his face.

They were staring ahead blankly, more like a mannequin than a person. The man had a beard, and a strip of fabric tied around his head. One of his eyes was closed, like he was winking. Was this who he was looking for? “Mr. Army Man?” As he was walking further around to try and get his attention he noticed something flattening the flowers in front of the Army Man.

It was a skeleton, with a cracked hole in its skull. David knew skeletons were inside people, and when they Went To Heaven a skeleton was left behind. Who did this skeleton used to be? “Excuse me Mister, can you help me?” The man kept staring ahead. David tried to find just what he was looking at. It was hard for him because of the flowers.

Under the unnatural quiet he could hear a voice. As soon as he became aware of it he spotted someone else in the field, running toward them. They couldn’t have been any taller than him, with wavy golden hair. Their voice got louder.

“…David! David!”  _That’s my name!_

“Hello?”

“No, David! No!” they waved their arms in the air frantically, their shrill shrieking pealing across the meadow. David waved back. _This must be who I’m looking for!_

“Hello! Hi!”

“NO DAVID! RUN!  _RUN!_ ”  _Run?_  A click behind him made him turn. The Army Man was dripping red, like he had been dipped in paint. He was watching David coolly, pointing a gun at him. “RUN! RUN!”

~

At 4:04 am David struggled free from a nightmare, waking up his brother in the process. Eli had been using his chest as a pillow at the time.

“Wha-what is it, what is it?!” The blonde got off and froze in a panic as the other sat up and gulped in air desperately.  _‘RUN! RUN!’._  As he gradually came back to the real world David calmed down, lying back carefully. “David, what’s wrong?”

“…Nothing.” He reached out blindly in the dark, stroking his hand over Eli’s side and pulling him over. Eli settled back on his chest, listening to the quick thumping of his heart.

“You frightened the life out of me.”

“Sorry.” He gave his ass a squeeze in apology. His twin’s skin was still warmer than his after his collapse from heat exhaustion the previous day, but after spending time drinking a lake’s worth of fluid and being watered like a flower he had been given a clean bill of health. “You want me to make it up to you?”

He needed some distraction. The image of that man watching him flashed each time he closed his eyes. It didn’t take a genius to know who it was supposed to be, but his mind had pieced the visage together so vividly that it was unsettling. Almost as though he had glimpsed right into the past.

“Hehe, what do you have in mind?”

“Something good.”

“Hm, in that case -” Eli shuffled up to lick across David’s lips. When the brunette tried to reciprocate the other drew away, crawling across the large quadruple bed and nearly sliding off. He returned a moment later with their bottle of lube.

They had been given a plastic tub of more toiletries: shampoo, deodorant, razors, shaving cream, etc. Someone had seen fit to supply them with cigarettes, condoms and lubricant too. The condoms stayed untouched, but the lube and cigarettes were much appreciated.

Eli squirted some onto David’s offered fingers, lying along him as he reached behind to start working him open. It was more difficult to do it this way, with Eli on top of him, but he didn’t dare interrupt the soft noises the blonde was breathing into his ear. That was his favourite part of stretching him.

Satisfied with his work, he withdrew his fingers and made to switch their places. Eli held him where he was. “Uh-uh. I’m going to be on top this time.” he whispered, cutting off David’s chuckle with his lips.

“If you insist.” He was going to enjoy this. They had never done it in this position before. More of the lube was applied to his shaft and Eli spread it over him, stroking him to full hardness. The duvet was kicked off as they heated up. “You’re good at that now, yaknow.” David nodded at where the hand was pumping him.

“Practice makes perfect.” It certainly did. Now that the both of them had been suitably prepared the green-eyed snake straddled him properly, using one hand to guide him in and another to hold himself up. At first it wouldn’t go in – Eli tried to change the angle a few times, not able to fit more than the head.

“Need some help?” David could feel exactly where he was going wrong: he was knelt too far forward.

“No, I can do it.”  _Can you?_  He wondered if he should time how long it took for his brother to admit defeat. Knowing him, it would be a while.

Before he could intervene the upright twin finally found the right position and sank onto him. They both groaned as the bliss of penetration washed over them. Solid gripped onto his hips, giving them a gentle shake to get them moving.

He knew Liquid had to adjust, but his body needed to come  _now now now_. Luckily for him, Liquid shared his sentiments. He was a young man too, after all. Sometimes the desire to reach the finish line was an all-consuming thirst.

Liquid began experimentally, rolling his hips in different ways to get a feel for it. The hands placed there helped to steer him. When he got the perfect movement and rhythm he tilted his head back, whimpering and digging his nails into his clone’s stomach. “Ahhah…”

David sat up to suck on the bronze skin, dipping to bite on a nipple lightly. He jerked Eli’s leaking member in time with his hips. “Yes, David!” The salty sweat tasted so  _right_  on his tongue, and he ran it frantically over his chest and his neck and his face.

Even though they had had anal sex a few times before he was always overwhelmed by how tight the blonde was. His instinctual urge to shoot and fill him up with cum was so strong it was agony.

“Eli…ahh  _fuck!_  Yeah, that’s it!” He couldn’t kiss or bite or touch enough of him. Their ragged breathing, moaning and the slapping of their flesh got faster and louder and more desperate. David could feel himself getting close, tugging quicker with his hand to bring his twin there with him.

Eli couldn’t keep up with all the attention, reaching his peak sooner than David had intended. Usually he wasn’t jerked off at the same time, so he wasn’t used to it. David let him ride it out, loving the way he clenched around him and twitched under his palm.

Coming back down, Eli made his hips go again for the brunette. His legs had turned to jelly, trembling with the effort to lift himself; so David leaned forward until they tipped over, leaving him on top and Eli on his back. This time there was no resistance when he swapped their positions.

It took just under a minute for him to get to his own orgasm, thrusting in deep with a grunt. “ _Ah!_  Ahh, yes…Fuck…” He waited until he was soft to pull out, catching his breath against Eli’s cheek and rubbing over the red handprints he had pressed into him during their fervour.

Sex was always more frenzied in the mornings. They got back under the covers on the clean half of the bed – that was another plus to their oversized sleeping arrangement, getting to move away from the sweat and cum stained side – and lay close together.

“Apology accepted.” Eli murmured sleepily, nestling himself comfortably next to his twin.

~

Eli wasn’t at all surprised that Ocelot was the one to be showing them around. His father probably didn’t trust anyone else around them, but it seemed more and more like he had literally landed babysitting duty as the blonde snake had joked about before. He found it hilarious because it had been the same on Mother Base.

They were let out into the firing yard, where a light utility vehicle was waiting for them. It had no roof and two front seats, with benches fixed onto the sides of the truck bed behind them. Ocelot climbed on the back while the two soldiers occupying the front seats were chaining the twins to the truck bed.

“Where are we going today?”

“A little wander around this sector. You’re lucky, this is one of the more interesting ones.” The muzzles were waved away. “They don’t need them. They know what Boss will do if they misbehave.” They didn’t know exactly, but they could imagine. If this was how he was when they were good, what would he be like if they were bad?

Passing through the gate at the end of the quad was exciting. After just two weeks they were already getting bored of their surroundings, probably more so because they knew they couldn’t get out. The grass is always greener, as the saying goes. On the other side of the gate, though, was more of the same: buildings and high walls and soldiers. However, it was much more open here; not penned in like a cage but bordered like a territory.

“What’s in there? Anything cool?” Eli pointed to an enormous hangar as they drove past it.

“If you’re good, maybe Snake will let you see one day.” The repetitive mention of their father was dampening their mood.

David muttered something under his breath. Ocelot couldn’t hear it over the engine, but he caught his tone. The brunette was following his brother’s lead when it came to him, as they had been strangers until the twins were picked up in Alaska. His original wariness had been replaced by his own imitation of Eli’s sass. Not as heartfelt and nowhere near as rude (he was more forgiving than Eli), but sass all the same.

Their destination was a building much larger than their own, yet seemingly single-storeyed. Like with their place, all the windows were barred. Unlike their place there were no extra doors to hinder escape.

“What’s in here, then?”

“This is another containment building for soldiers with a high Level. Not quite as _bespoke_ as yours, though.” The driver and passenger got out to unshackle the snakes. “This is also the place where Dr. Tyszczenko does most of his work. All of his patients are here, after all. Well, except you two.”

Hopping off the vehicle with no mask and no chains was surreal. Eli eyed the people around him. He could easily kill someone now he was unrestrained…but he wouldn’t. What would he do then? Start running? He was trapped – there was no way he could scale the smooth thirty-something-foot walls, if he even got there before someone shot him or shocked him or drove him down.

Even if he killed everyone in this zone of the sector his father would eventually come for him as he tried fruitlessly to escape. He didn’t want to think of what the punishment would be.

“We’re not here for a meet-and-greet, are we?” The blonde would rather have stayed behind if this trip meant he had to socialise. Especially if it was with other talented fighters; they would be so arrogant and vain. Not like him at all, _definitely_ not like him.

“No, we’re just lookin’ around. Odds are the residents won’t be loitering at this time.” _Good_. They were let right in, entering a lobbyesque room (if the lobby was in a military bunker). Some benches were scattered about and pushed under weapon racks on the walls. Orange dirt and dust had been tracked onto the linoleum floor, which was in obvious need of a clean.

There was a check in/out board dotted with ID cards to track the comings and goings of the residents. So far Ocelot’s prediction had been correct, there were only a few O.H. soldiers passing by or standing around looking very unbusy.

 _This place is a dump._ Eli realised it was very possible that he and David were receiving five star accommodation at Outer Heaven. Who else got a yard and a building all to themselves? _Maybe we just caught them on a bad day…_ “You can stay here, I’ll show them around.” Ocelot dismissed the two shadowing them casually.

 _For an ass he sure is good with people._ Eli could remember how much the Diamond Dogs on Mother Base respected him, liked him even. The two saluted with a ‘sir!’ and went to sit on one of the askew benches with another soldier.

The snakes were led to the points of interest, leaving the resident’s bedsits alone. It wasn’t like they could go in and nose around. They saw the training hall, about the same size as theirs with more equipment to go around, and the medical room, where Tyszczenko was thankfully absent.

Eli was expecting a morgue/torture chamber based on the impression the Ukrainian had given him, but it was just a normal medical room. Apart from the fact all the equipment was top of the line. There were x-rays and MRI scans and EEG readouts stuck up and stacked on work surfaces. A centrifuge was whirring away next to a paper clipped series of notes.

David held up an x-ray image and winced. It showed the upper body of a man whose entire right side had shattered, hand, arm, shoulder and ribcage. The one directly underneath showed the same patient with titanium pins holding the bones in place, then with a perfectly healthy body. The time stamp on each image was a month apart.

He put them back and turned his attention to an EEG readout, which was so active that the waves almost formed one black block of ink. David showed it to Eli, who was taking his own temperature and listening to his heartbeat through a stethoscope at the same time. If what he said past the thermometer was even English, David didn’t know. Ocelot ushered them out when Eli found the scalpels, moving them on.

There were three more levels that extended below ground under the storey they had been exploring – the first two were known as ‘Red 1’ and ‘Red 2’; and the third, lowest one was known as ‘Purple 1’. The security got tighter with each descending storey.

“…with more free reign. Outer Heaven is their home, and Snake is...their Boss, to put it simply. Your father is an oasis to those who live on the battlefield, he always has been. They will always flock to him for leadership.” The gunslinger was running them through what was what in the building.

“Will you _please_ stop talking about the cunt for five minutes? Are you showing us around or selling him like a time share?” Eli was not in the mood to hear about him, if he ever could be. A headache had been gathering behind his eyes since he stepped off the car, steadily intensifying into a migraine.

“Boss made this place what it is, I can’t explain anything while keeping him out of it.” Ocelot was annoying him on purpose, but he did mean what he said. He turned away to hide his smug look.

“Then don’t explain it.” The older man strode off, snakes in tow.

“You ok?” David noticed his grim expression and pale face.

“I’ve got a headache. His rambling giving me a tumour, most likely.”

“It’s probably because of yesterday. You can go sleep when we get back.” The brunette gripped his hand quickly before they got into another sturdy elevator.

“The last place is Purple 1. As the name suggests, it houses Purple Level soldiers.” Eli couldn’t even give a sarcastic ‘ _interesting!’_. As they went even lower the throbbing in his skull increased, and he had to keep from crying out.

He stumbled as they got out, caught by his brother as he went down.

“Eli, your nose is bleeding!” The blonde could barely hear him over the ringing in his ears. It felt like something was drilling into his brain from all directions, like his head was being crushed. “Do something!” His vision went starry and he tasted copper on his tongue. He couldn’t even scream as the pain reached a crescendo.

On the brink of losing consciousness something snapped inside him, falling into place and eliminating the pain at once. Ocelot was sending for a medic through the emergency coms in the elevator and David was holding onto him tightly, watching his face with sickening worry. Slowly his senses came back.

_Liquid._

He spat out some blood and started to laugh.


	33. Mantodea

Solid knew there was something wrong with his brother by the time they left the training hall. The signs were subtle, but they were there: having a pained crease in his brow, talking less and being slower to reply. At first he thought it was a continuation of his faint the day before. When he fell down and started bleeding his concern skyrocketed.

He suspected Liquid was having some kind of fit by his trembling and stupor. Ocelot had called for assistance, but he seemed more annoyed than surprised or worried. And even then the emotion was shallow.

Then the blonde snapped out of it, all of a sudden and completely unexpectedly. Solid held his breath, waiting and hoping that whatever had happened was over for good. Liquid’s dead weight tried to hold itself, and he started laughing – _laughing!_ Solid thought the episode had made him lose his mind.

Eli twisted in his arms to look at Ocelot, who was standing by the elevator with crossed arms and a disapproving expression. He grinned at him, as though he were the butt of some joke David had missed.

“Where is he?” Eli got up quickly, wobbling slightly on his feet. David got ready to catch him again.

“Eli, are you o-” He cut off when his twin turned away and marched down the corridor. “Wait, stop! Eli.” David went after him and caught his arm. “What happened? Can you sit down for a moment, you shouldn’t be walking around!”

“I’m fine.”

“‘Fine’?!” Eli wiped the blood from his face when he saw the brunette looking at it, leaving a deep red streak along his forearm.

“It’s fine, really.” he gave him his most reassuring smile, which came across as crazed, and carried on walking.

“Wha – aren’t you gonna stop him?” David addressed the Russian strolling over lazily.

“He’s ok.”

“Fucking-!” he pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes and took a second to unsuccessfully gather his thoughts. “ _Please_ tell me what’s going on. He just fucking _collapsed_ out of nowhere, and now he’s ok to run around?” Ocelot shrugged. “Ugh…” _Maybe I’m the one who’s lost his mind._

David caught up with his brother easily, holding onto his hand to keep him close and stop him running off too fast. “Where are you going?” It seemed he was choosing the route purposely, like he knew the way.

“Left.” He turned left. _Wow, thanks for clearing that up._

“Tell me what happened.”

“Left.” He turned left.

“Eli, _tell me what happened_.” The fair haired snake halted, making his sibling bump into him. Ocelot’s spurs jingled toward them through the halls as he followed languidly, getting louder as he caught up to their stop. _Does he know where we’re going too?_ How else would he know which way to turn?

Eli stood in front of a very thick metal door. It required a code, fingerprint and retinal scan to open. David grabbed the hand that was attempting to touch the keypad, yanking it to spin his twin toward him. “What. Are. You. Doing?”

“…Visiting a friend.” David let him go back to the security setup.

“Friend? You don’t…” he was going to say ‘don’t have any friends’, but it sounded too harsh. It probably wouldn’t have mattered anyway, his brother wasn’t paying him much attention. Eli’s hand hovered over the buttons.

“…Ok…5938.” The keypad beeped in time with his reciting, giving an appraising series of noises when he hit ‘ENTER’.

“How did you…”

“Code Input completed. Please Input Fingerprint Recognition.” A pre-recorded and slightly robotic female voice came from a small speaker on the wall, just above the keypad. Eli wiped his hand on his trousers and spread it on the flashing screen. “Fingerprint Recognition completed. Please Input Retinal Authentication.” He stepped up to the scanner and waited as it studied his eye.

“Bloody trying to blind me.” He muttered, rubbing the eye once the scanner had finished its investigation.

“Retinal Authentication complete. Biometric Data 100% match. Access granted, Big Boss.” Eli chuckled deviously as the bolts thumped inside the door, his twin staring at him incredulously. _WHAT._

“That’ll teach you to use this with two genetic copies knocking about, you _stupid_ fuck!”

“Oh, great.” Ocelot had finally reached them. He didn’t look very impressed. David followed his clone in, and Ocelot decided to stay outside. There were a few people he had to call.

Inside looked like the viewing side of an interrogation chamber. Past what was undoubtedly a one way mirror was another room; with a bed, a table and chair and…not much else. There was a shower curtain drawn over in one corner, obscuring a toilet the dark haired snake guessed.

Someone was lying face up on the table, head tilted back to glare at the mirror. David wasn’t sure what struck him first about them, or what struck him as the most alarming. It was a lot to process.

The award for ‘most alarming’ was quickly given to the fact that they weren’t lying _on_ the table, but floating a few inches above it. A pair of ice silver eyes shone under a gas mask, tracking their movement as though they could see past the mirror.

Aside from the levitation and creepy get-up the next very noticeable feature was the hair. It wasn’t ginger red but _red_ red, a bright crimson mop that burst from the top and back of the mask in great contrast to the black clothes and porcelain white skin. They were so skinny it was difficult for him to tell whether they were male or female.

Eli pressed a button from a control panel that worked the speakers into the room.

“Well…as I live and fucking breathe…Tretij Rebenok.” The masked 'Rebenok' lifted its body up, giving a graceful mid-air twirl as they settled to sit on – above – the edge of the table.

“If it isn’t the White Mamba.” _What? What the fuck?_ Was this the 99th or the 100th time he was utterly out of the loop since meeting Liquid?

“You’ve been here all this time?”

“A year or two” Their voice was rasping and muffled. “You must be David.” They looked right at him. He was starting to think it wasn’t a one-way mirror after all. “You…like petting puppies. Your favourite colour is blue, you’re right-handed, you sucked your thumb until you were 7 and you can speak four languages fluently and six conversationally.” _How…_

“…You’re an ESPer?”

“Correct.”

“I didn’t invite you into my head.” the brunette replied coolly. If he could pull up all that in such a short time, what else could he see? There was something perverse about rifling through people’s thoughts and memories like that.

“Don’t worry, I got all that from Liquid. If it makes you feel any better he _still_ sucks his thumb; that’s why he sleeps with his head under the pillow, so you can’t see.” Eli’s frantic tapping on the speaker button came too late.

David eyed him as he guiltily looked anywhere else but his general direction. _That’s hilarious._ The mind reading may have been immoral, but he was willing to overlook it this once.

“Yeah, thanks for that Tretij.”

“You said I should speak aloud for his benefit.”

“You know each other.” David cut in, deciding to put the other subject aside for later.

“On Mother Base. He was our uninvited guest – the floating boy. Though he goes by Psycho Mantis now.” Ocelot interrupted the session as if on cue. “We all thought Eli had an imaginary friend. Of course, we knew the friend was all too real when they hijacked Sahelanthropus together.” Mantis was watching Solid blindly through the glass.

“How did you find him again?” Eli placed a mug over the speaker button to save his hand the job.

“He was in Romania, scouting clients and investors for drug cartels and brothels. His abilities came in handy for telling the rats and liars from the friends. We told him there was a place for him here, and he came willingly.” David rubbed at the sore spot building beneath his brow. “This room is lined with electromagnetic insulation, which was supposed to stop his powers from extending past these walls. Everyone thought it worked, but…obviously not.”

Eli chuckled and twisted a dial on the control panel repeatedly, dimming and brightening the lights in Mantis’ room. If the psychic was bothered by it, he hid it well. “Boys, Snake wants you back in your own building in twenty minutes. You’d better hurry up.”

“See you later, _Mantis_.” The blonde drew away from the panel with a wave and left with Ocelot.

_David._

Solid Snake whipped around expecting to see Mantis standing behind him. His voice had been so clear, unobstructed by walls and glass and the mask.

_David…I hope we can be…good friends._

He hurried out after the others.

~

Eli was in high spirits for the rest of the day. He gave his brother a very in-depth retelling of his time on Mother Base with the floating boy, unaware that he didn’t want to hear it.

Before David had left, Mantis had spoken directly into his head. Had he been in there the whole time? What had he seen in there? To say that the psychic gave him the creeps was an understatement. _Trust Eli’s one friend to be a freak like that._

Judging by the narrative Eli was giving, theirs was a strange friendship built on hate and young age. They had drifted apart as Eli grew close to Venom, evaporating his loathing for his father. Then, when he found out The Truth, the hatred came blazing back with a vengeance and allowed for their psychic connection.

Eli needed Mantis to control the Metal Gear on Base, and Mantis needed somewhere to belong. It was a symbiotic relationship.

Their shared consciousness was severed by Liquid at age thirteen, for a number of reasons that all contributed to one problem – he didn’t want him in his mind anymore. Liquid had decided to strike out on his own, so he could hone his skills without his friend’s help holding him back.

The blonde had been forcing him out every now and then anyway before they went their separate ways, so Mantis knew it was only a matter of time. Liquid had discovered masturbation, and wanted privacy.

He had been playing with himself innocently enough in boredom, then it started to feel good, then it started to feel _really_ good and he didn’t want to do anything else, ever. This was in the few golden months when masturbating was fun and not a coping mechanism where the pleasure lost all meaning.

It was far too easy to cut ties with Mantis, and Eli felt guilty for it. In the excitement of his new freedom he couldn’t bring himself to even miss his ‘friend’. That was yet another factor that convinced him he was a monster, like his father. What kind of beast had no empathy at all? Luckily Mantis didn’t hold it against him. He was a good friend, Liquid was sure.

David asked him about the fit he had had earlier, and Eli told him it was the ESPer reintroducing their bond. Eli’s unknowing resistance caused the pain and bleeding.

“What does that mean then, now that it’s…open again. Can he, like, see your thoughts?”

“Kinda. I can hear him, he’s talking to me now.”

“What’s he saying? Can he get into my mind too, from here?”

“I dunno. I don’t think so. It makes it easier to talk through the link.” Knowing that Mantis and Eli were conversing with one another in complete privacy was unnerving. Mantis could be saying anything to him, and David wouldn’t know what unless Eli told him.

“I-is it open _all_ the time?” David didn’t fancy having the psychic present when they had sex.

“Yeah.”

“Can’t you turn it off or something?” The blonde didn’t answer, he was too busy staring at the ceiling from where they were lying on their bed. “Eli?”

“Huh?” Was he even listening to him? No, of course not; the line was occupied by the red haired stick figure.

“I said: can’t you turn it off?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“I don’t want him listening when we’re…yaknow, _together_.”

“Oh! Yeah, I’ll close it for that. Definitely.” Eli rolled over to give him a soft kiss, pulling away to laugh at a joke David couldn’t hear. And he didn’t like it one bit.


	34. The Brink

 Eli didn’t speak aloud much in the following days. The only time he had been alone in his mind was when he and David made love one night, and even then the psychic was back a few seconds after his orgasm. There wasn’t much in his head then though, sex with the brunette always left him in a catatonic daze.

Mantis had known about the twin’s taboo relationship mere minutes after re-establishing the mental bond – Eli didn’t think about much else, after all. Of course Eli knew that he knew, there was no keeping secrets with Mantis.

The blonde could even see into  _his_  head to a certain extent; but he had no idea that Tretij, after years of honing his powers, had complete control over what Eli could and couldn’t see there. He could tamper with thoughts and feelings without his friend knowing.

Liquid was granted permission to return to Mantis’ building after training each day, where he sat behind the one-way mirror so they could talk. The ESP insulation was not 100% effective in stopping his influence, but it did dampen his powers. Their connection was weaker over the distance between their accommodations, so being close relieved the strain it put them under to keep it up.

Solid went with him the first two times. Sitting with his brother had been incredibly boring, since the friends spoke via the link quite a lot. When they saw fit to include him by talking physically it was mostly small talk. _I might as well let Ocelot monologue me to death._ The second time he stayed on the ground floor while his brother went below, kicking a basketball around the empty training hall and sulking.

After that he didn’t bother going at all. Liquid hadn’t been disappointed in the slightest, which made him feel even worse. The fair haired snake didn’t notice the other’s chagrin.

~

_\- Can you see into David’s head from here?_

_\- …Yes, but it’s…difficult, because of the distance._

_\- Do you look in often?_

_\- Why?_  Mantis didn’t think Eli would be mad if he said yes, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

_\- Well…does he think about me a lot?_

_\- Yes._  Eli grinned in the darkened cubicle behind the mirror.

_\- What does he think about me?_

_\- All sorts._

_\- C’mon, you know what I mean!_

_\- I really don’t_. They both knew he did. Eli played along anyway.

_\- What kinds of things does he think, like…Ok, what’s his opinion on me?_

_\- I’m sure you know it already._

_\- What’s his actual opinion, the one he can keep to himself?_

_\- …I don’t think you’d like it_. 

 _What? What’s that supposed to mean? I – d-did I do something wrong?_  Liquid sat up in the swivel chair, watching the ESPer float above the bed. Tretij could sense the other’s immediate surprise and apprehension.  _How can I fix it?_

_\- It’s not so much something you did as it’s just things about you._

_\- Things about me? Please, you have to tell me now!_

_\- I don’t think I should, Mamba. I’ve said too much already._

_-That’s not fair! Please Tretij!_ There was a long silence before he got an answer.

_\- He…doesn’t like it when you sleep close to him. It annoys him._

_\- WHAT! Really?_ He probed the redhead’s mind for signs that he was lying, and found none _. Really?...I had no idea. He never gave me that impression…_ The revelation spread through his psyche, like a drop of ink blooming in a glass of water.

 _\- Yes. He wants you to give him space - he feels like you smother him too much._ Another large drop of ink was added.

 _\- Oh God…_ Liquid hadn’t worried about that since before he and David got together.  _(‘You’re suffocating him’)_  Had his subconscious been right, so many months ago?  _I didn’t know! I-I thought he…_

Through their link the psychic could sense how much pain Eli was in, the familiar feeling of hurt and betrayal he had radiated as a child on Mother Base. To him the emotion was delicious.

As he predicted, the blonde excused himself and proceeded to close the connection, a process that was extremely unpleasant and sometimes excruciating. The snake didn’t want him there when he started to cry.

Mantis couldn’t help but smile at his friend’s distress. The wedge he planned to drive between the twins had been forced that much deeper with his lies.

~

David was reading a book on seabirds when his brother returned. He wasn’t particularly interested in the subject, it had just been at eye level in their library as he passed by the shelves earlier on. The intense Russian lesson they had that day had all but melted his brain, so it was nice to look at the pictures and not have to read too much.

“Hey. That was quick, usually you’re gone for longer.” he greeted Eli when he spotted him coming in their room.

“Sorry for the inconvenience.” David didn’t catch the strange tone in his twin’s voice.

“Look – guess what this is called.” He pointed to an illustration in the book, covering the name with his finger. The image was given a cursory glance.

“I dunno, an albatross?”

“No, it’s a  _booby!_ ”

“Huh.” Eli didn’t laugh. David gave a forced little chuckle, turning back to the book in confusion. He had been sure Eli would find it hilarious – he had saved the page specially to show him. Maybe he was tired after their training…that must be why he came home earlier, too. Some cheering up was in order.

“C’mere.” he put the book aside and beckoned him with a finger. Eli kicked his boots off, staying where he was. “Come on! Come here.” Liquid ambled over and flopped onto the sheets on the opposite side of the quadruple bed, lying on his front with his head facing away from the brunette.

David laughed, thinking that his brother was playing with him. “Haha! What’re you doing?” There was no reply. “Hm?” He tugged his shirt off and crawled slowly over to him, leaning down to whisper into his ear. “Hm?” _Jeez, Eli’s grumpier than I thought. He needs a nap…_ but _I could wake him up instead._

Starting at his lower back, David pressed a trail of kisses up his spine that ended at the warm nape of his neck. He buried a hand under his body to rub at him through his trousers. “How about you get rid of Psycho Bug for a while so we can have some fun.” The fact he had to announce it was something he hated a lot. Before, sex just  _happened_  and the build-up was exciting; now it had to be planned. Or, at least, anticipated.

Eli had been trying to ignore him, but the blue-eyed snake could feel him getting hard against his palm. The goose-bumps prickling his skin wherever David’s breath fell were equally as condemning.

“He’s already gone.”

“Good.” David stopped the rubbing to roll Eli onto his back and undo his belt. “I’ve missed you, yaknow. We don’t spend much time together anymore,  _free_  time.” Another flurry of kisses landed on his chest and down his belly.

“…It’s always good to get a break from each other though, right?”

“Uhh, sure. Yeah, I suppose.”  _Where has that come from? (He wouldn’t have said something like that before he met his friend)._  Eli’s clothes came off quickly, joined just as fast by his brother’s. The blonde didn’t take part in the undressing.

David could tell something was off. It wasn’t hard, Liquid had been subdued the entire exchange. “Are you feeling ok?”

“Yes, I’m just – tired.”

“Do you wanna sleep instead?”

“No. I can sleep after.”  _Don’t sound too pleased about it, whatever you do!_

“Ok…”

Eli flipped back onto his front to be stretched open, muffling his whining in one of the pillows. David pushed over his sweet spot relentlessly to make him cry out when he felt he was being too quiet. Each time he parted his fingers he brought them back to hook down into it.

“David…I can’t – ah! I can’t hold on if you keep going.” Finally hearing his voice was like music to Solid’s ears.  _Maybe I’ll tease you a bit longer_. “Ahh! Seriously, I can’t!” He could tell how close the other was by the way he rocked back unconsciously onto his fingers. Now would be the perfect time to go in, while he was on the edge. Seeing the absolute mess he made of Liquid was always satisfying.

“Alright, what do you want me to do?” he whispered, biting the shell of his ear and making his twin shudder.

“Please…I want you inside me.” Solid didn’t need to be asked twice. Straddling the backs of his thighs, he lined up and pushed in, tilting his head back with a sigh. “Mmh, yeah…Deeper!” He obliged, and Liquid made a very bizarre sound that was incredibly arousing. “Fuck! You shouldn’t have played with me so much, I won’t last at all.”

Solid was tempted to finish him off, but he got a much better idea. If he kept him on the brink it would be a lot more entertaining. And it could double up as a punishment for spending his afternoons with his friend and not him.

He began the routine of thrusting in and out, revelling in the way Liquid squirmed and moaned with each movement. When his body told him to speed up he held back, keeping the leisurely pace. It made him ache to go so slow, but it was worth it as Liquid was definitely suffering more. “Ahhh, David…please…ah, please hurry up!”

“I thought you wanted to last?”

“N-no, I – ah – I changed my mind.”

“Well, I haven’t changed mine yet.” The brunette strung a series of small bites from shoulder to shoulder, giving a harder one at the back of his neck. _This is even more fun than I expected! Why have I never done this before?_

He moved them both on their sides to stop his brother from ruining his game - Liquid was trying to get himself off by grinding into the mattress. The green-eyed snake quickly changed tactics and started jerking himself off frantically, only to be stopped by his twin grabbing his wrists.

“Stop it, David! _Ahh_ , it’s not fair!” Despite his words, he wasn’t putting up much resistance. He had gone weak with the pleasure. “Please…”

David raised his head enough to see how Eli’s front was faring. A big wet patch was spreading from the head of his twitching cock, where he was leaking a constant sticky stream onto the bed. After all the ceaseless rubbing on his prostate the pre-come had become cloudy with semen, coming out thick whenever David touched the right place inside him. He never realised just how much he wanted to see Eli so desperate until then.

The building pressure in his stomach became a tight wringing as his orgasm approached. His game would have to stop now.

“Do you want more?”

“Yes, yes! God, _please_ , give me more!” David let go of a wrist to take hold of the neglected cock, pumping over the dribbling head. The shock of the intense stimulation was nearly overwhelming. “Ah fuck fuck _fuck_!”

“Come for me, baby.” Eli obeyed, squirting long ropes of cum over the sheets and David’s fist and tensing as the paralysing sensation cut into him. David suspected Mantis didn’t need to be a psychic to hear Eli from his room at that moment, the moan he gave was so loud.

As Eli was starting to come down, David reached his own peak; pressing in as much as he could with a tremulous groan. There was something about finishing inside that felt so rewarding, like he’d played his part as he should have.

Neither of them had the energy to move, so they stayed put and fell asleep as they were.

David stirred in the night, fumbling to feel his twin. Where he should have found him had been replaced by cold covers. The confusion brought him further into consciousness. _Eli…where?_ His brother had wriggled out of his embrace to lie on the other side of their bed by himself. _What?_


	35. Shiny New Toy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still alive and ready to...high five

Eli’s odd behaviour continued through to the next day. There wasn’t any time for chatting during training (unless they were doing linguistics, where they could talk as much as they liked provided it was in the permitted language), so it wasn’t as noticeable then. But, at the end of target practice, Eli shot off to Mantis so fast he almost left an after-image.

“He late for something?” Ocelot commented on the hasty exit.

“How should I know?” David replied, snapping a new magazine in a tad harder that necessary. He didn’t see the raised eyebrows his mentor gave him.

Left to his own devices he had to entertain himself in the afternoon. Their building wasn’t as fun when it was just him. Over the past week that Eli was away he had scoured each room for something to do. So far he had passed the time by reading in the library, jerking off, taking a nap, and pestering the soldiers over the paddock fence.

The latter activity was one he quite looked forward to. At first he had struck up a conversation with an English speaking soldier, initiated when David said ‘bless you’ after he sneezed. Now he had a group of them who he spoke to. They couldn’t see one another past the tarpaulin, which made it easier for him to talk.

The soldiers were excited that they were interacting with one of the Black Levels, like children who make eye contact with the tigers at the zoo.

David found that if he complained he was hungry they would throw sweets over the fence for him, and if he complained he was bored they’d chuck over an unsolved Rubik’s Cube; which he would complete and throw back.

Being in Outer Heaven was a polar opposite to being at FOXHOUND. In Alaska he was free to come and go as he pleased – within reason – and he had scores of trainees and operatives around him. Here it was just him and Liquid, caught and caged. Ocelot and Big Boss didn’t count as far as his social life was concerned.

He hadn’t realised until recently, but he was very lonely. Even his brother wasn’t with him longer than he had to be. Wandering around the empty building just added to his feeling of isolation. Talking with the soldiers was an escape, some much needed company.

His sour mood was made worse when Ocelot stopped him from packing up.

“Your father wants to see you, by the way. Eli too.” David squinted against the sun to get a look at the window that he was sure belonged to Boss’ occasional office. There was nothing to see but darkness inside. _The perfect analogy_ , he thought.

“When?”

“Now.”

“What about Eli?”

“He’s already run off. Snake’ll find a way to punish him for it later, I’m sure.” He shooed David away from sorting out the equipment, giving him a little push toward his building. Liquid may have some childhood grudge against the Russian but the brunette didn’t think he was too bad. Compared to Big Boss he was a saint.

It wasn’t until after he was in the mandatory clean-up-for-Daddy shower that he realised Eli’s disappearance meant he would be going up alone. _Alone_. With Snake, alone. A wave of nausea swept through him, and he crouched ready to vomit down the plug. Nothing came up and the initial feeling went, but the panic was still very much there.

 _No, no! Please, no – I can’t go on my own!_ He hurriedly tried to work out if he could get to Tretij’s place to tell his brother. Boss would be mad that they took so long, but at least they would be together. _Not on my own…_

Who could get him to Eli? He had to be driven, as well as chained to the truck bed. He had only seen one vehicle suitable to chain him in, and it had probably been used to transport the fairer snake. _There has to be someone…Ocelot? No._ The ‘now’ Ocelot had issued sounded like a warning. If he delayed any longer there would be trouble.

~

Snake was in his usual ‘I don’t give a fuck, I’m the king of this world’ position when David entered.

“What took you so long?”

“I was in training.” He slowly stepped around the door, standing uncomfortably behind one of the chairs. His twin’s absence was noted immediately.

“Where’s Liquid?”

“…He went to see his friend. Uh, he was already gone when I was told to come here.” Snake twirled his cigar between his fingers, seemingly uncaring about the situation.

“‘Friend’, huh? The doomsday prepper in the gimp suit? Makes sense that he’s so fucking weird, to put up with Liquid.” David was strangely glad that someone else shared his distaste for Mantis. Then again, Boss had a distaste for everyone. “Well then, it’s just us today. It’s a shame, I got you both a new toy and now only one of you is here to play with it. Maybe that’s a good thing - children hate sharing, after all.”

For some reason David had expected Boss to dismiss him. He had been hoping that he wouldn’t be interested unless both twins were there. It was unlikely, but he had wished it all the same. Obviously that wasn’t going to happen. “Come here.”

Anxiously he made his way toward the desk, avoiding eye contact. Something there caught his eye. It was the tape he had stolen from Venom. “Look familiar? It was found in your pocket little thief, nearly waterlogged beyond repair. Nearly.”

“What is it?”

“I use it to communicate with V. We send it back and forth…The recording that was on it when you took it was a message that I wanted you and Liquid here in Africa, with me. If you hadn’t have stolen it V would have heard it, and you would never have got shot.” A mean smile spread on his face. “Or gone _swimming_ and caused everyone so much hassle.”

He still would have rescued Eli and gone on the run. But then they would have been retrieved safely after Venom heard the tape… “I didn’t call you to reminisce. Let’s get on with it.”

Snake pulled the lubricant from a drawer and flicked it at him. “Finger yourself open.” David stared blankly at the bottle, feeling the nausea well up once again. He knew what was coming, and he knew it would _hurt_. Especially with the roughness he’d witnessed Snake using.

There was no way he could refuse, but there was no way he could go through with it either. His first time was meant to be with Eli! Why did this have to be happening? _If Eli hadn’t gone to that freak it probably wouldn’t be_. Catching the look on his face, Snake added: “Guessing you’ve never bottomed before, then. It’s not for me – this time – it’s for your present.”

From the same drawer he procured the object in question, placing it down for David to inspect. David had no idea what it was supposed to be. It was a black plastic _thing_ with an oval base and a curved shaft. At the tip it was bulbed and rounded. The protrusion wasn’t very long or thick, but it was still intimidating to him. “Now, _open yourself up_.”

Undoing his trousers and dribbling some lube onto his fingers, he slid his hand under the clothing so that he didn’t have to remove them. Gently he pressed against his entrance and tried to push past it. The first digit went in easily, and he bit his lip at the new sensation. He’d never had something inside him before, even though Eli had offered to finger him a few times.

Adding another one made it start to burn as he stretched _. I should be more careful when I do this to Eli_. “Hurry up.” Taking a breath, David worked the second finger in all the way and began to move them in and out; parting them. It felt odd and not particularly pleasurable. He had to hunch over slightly to get a better angle. “That’s enough. Put it in.”

It hadn’t been much time, but Snake was getting impatient. David picked up his present and gave it another look. Which way was it supposed to go in? Did it matter? He squirted some lubricant over it and hesitated. “Come over here.”

David rounded the desk, standing next to Boss’ chair. The thought of Snake touching him made him sick. “Go on, then.” Sheepishly he dropped his trousers and underwear ready to insert the toy. _Just…relax. Imagine being somewhere else…literally anywhere else._

As he brought the plastic thing behind him Snake grabbed his wrist. “No, not that way.” The arm was wrenched back with unnecessary force, and the toy snatched from him. “That’s wrong. Put your hands on the desk, you’re gonna hurt yourself.”

He did as he was told, planting them on the edge. Snake huffed and pulled his hair, yanking it downwards hard enough to make his upper body slam onto the wood. Lucky his head had turned with the pulling, or his nose would have been flattened. “Lie like that.”

Solid gulped in air to replace that which had been knocked out of him. Still his father kept hold of his hair. “Did you hear me?” The younger snake nodded, winded and unable to speak. “Yes?” His hair was twisted painfully in Snake’s fist.

“Y-ugh-y-yes!” he wheezed.

“Yes what?” Another twist.

“Yuh-yes Daddy!”

“Good boy.” His hair was released. “Keep still for me.” Without waiting for him to recover Snake pointed the tip of the toy against his hole and pushed it in. Solid gasped and tensed up, quickly getting a punishment in the form of a hard pinch to the arm. “Don’t do that.” It was a challenge to relax. The situation wasn’t a relaxing one at all, yet somehow he managed.

As it went deeper little by little the angle was adjusted to stop the weird shape from damaging him. He was wondering how much was left to take when it ended, buried inside him. Solid gave a shaky noise, the kind Liquid would make. The slight curve lined the larger tip up perfectly with a certain place within him, pressing on it.

Now that it was in, surely his father would take it out again? Instead he wiggled his finger hard against the base, causing the toy to rub around. “Can you feel that, baby?”

“Yes Daddy...” He knew what Snake was referring to – and he _could_ feel it, massaging the same sweet spot that he aimed for when pleasuring Eli. The toy must have been made specifically for that purpose. Suddenly he became aware of the first hint of arousal curling in his gut. And he hated himself for it.

“Good.” The wiggling stopped, and Boss leaned back in his chair casually. A small part of David wanted him to keep going. “Pull your pants up and go sit over there.” _What? He wants me to sit down_? Trying not to disturb the thing in his ass, he carefully reached down to redress. “Wait.” Snake stopped him just as he was about to cover himself up.

The older man dug his finger into the base again, this time clicking a button hidden under a soft cover.

“Ahh!” David had to put an elbow back on the desk to stop himself falling down. The toy had started vibrating, _hard_.

“Alright, now you can sit.” It took all of his shattered concentration just to button his trousers up. There was no way he could walk, so he had to half-limp half-shuffle over to the waiting chair. He lowered himself cautiously onto the seat, surprised and glad that it didn’t hurt.

David risked a glance at Snake, who wasn’t even looking in his direction; he had gone back to reading papers and smoking. _All this and he’s not even paying attention?!...Not that I want him to, but…still!_ He decided to return the favour and turned his head away to study the wall.

Sat down he could feel the vibration through the base where it pushed on his perineum. Most of all he could feel it buzzing on his prostate, sending bolts through his stomach and thighs and between his legs. _It doesn’t feel good. It doesn’t feel good at all._ Even as he repeated the mantra he was getting hard, straining in his trousers. At least Snake wasn’t looking.

 _It doesn’t feel good…It doesn’t…it…so good…_ His mouth had fallen open unconsciously to pant. The wall became invisible as his body focussed solely on the electric heat building deep in his groin.

Big Boss looked up from his work every so often to check on Solid’s progress. His boy was writhing subtly, whimpering at the end of each breath. A dark wet stain was growing from the bulge in his trousers. “You’re getting loud, baby.” he observed, chuckling when Solid clamped his mouth shut. “Don’t be shy. Do you like your present?”

“Y-yeahhh…”

“Do you wanna come play with it again?”

“Ah…yeah…” David lowered his hand to masturbate himself through the fabric.

“No, no touching yourself.” Snake was ignored. “ _David_.” he banged a fist on the desk and the young snake jumped out his skin, gripping onto the armrests to resist the temptation. The pleasure was constant and fierce. For the last minute or so he had thought he was just about to come, but he never tipped over the edge. In fact, the sensation was growing.

After another two minutes teetering on the brink he couldn’t keep it up. Every single wave felt like the split second before climax, and he couldn’t stand it. It didn’t occur to him that he was getting a taste of his own medicine after teasing Eli the same way.

“Please…please, I – I need…” His pathetically whiny voice tore Snake from the papers. “Please, Daddy…I can’t – wait!”

“It won’t be much longer.”

“No, please! I…” The dam finally burst, taking the rest of his shame out with it. “Aaahaaahh!” David squeezed his legs together to relieve the pressure, bowing his back and curling his toes in his boots, cum soaking the front of his trousers. The orgasm lasted twice as long as he’d ever experienced, completely wearing him out.

Through the haze he was vaguely aware that Boss was speaking to him.

“David.” With effort he opened his eyes, gradually coming back to himself. _No wonder Eli can’t even speak after, holy shit._ “David, come here.” He struggled bonelessly to his feet, the toy still whirring away, and stumbled to his beckoning father. Heeding the vague gesture he gave him, he bent back over the desk and undid his clothes again.

Snake turned the toy off and pulled it out slowly, covering it with a square of sterile cloth. “Did you like that?” It took a few seconds for his foggy brain to understand the question.

“Yes, Daddy.” David did his clothes back up clumsily.

“Good boy. It must be boring on your own - you can come here to play with your gift after training every day, if you want. I’ll be here.” Right at that moment all David could think about was going to sleep. “Now get out.”


	36. Frozen Boys

Eli watched his brother’s face while he slept. David was lying to him. He hadn’t seen it coming at all, the brunette must have been an expert in deception – he was Big Boss’ son, after all.

For the past week Eli had made himself scarce to give his twin the space he craved, but David wasn’t acting the way he expected. He kept saying how much he missed him, and holding him close at night as he was now.

Mantis had assured him that he hated all that, so why would he keep doing it? _Is it because he doesn’t know that I know? Maybe he’s just keeping up the act._ It was an extremely convincing one. When he asked Eli to stay with him after training he had seemed so genuine, it made him wonder what else he was lying about if the mask was so good.

There had been a dull, ever-present ache in his chest after Mantis spilled the beans; becoming worse at night when all he had to do was lie in the dark and think about it. He hadn’t slept properly since then either. Now he had guilt to contend with too – David had to see their father alone that day while he was with Mantis. A bit of anger and jealousy too, he would have wanted to be there when David used that weird vibrator thing he’d described.

Before David woke up he made sure that he was far away from him on the bed. He stayed in his arms for as long as he could, wishing his brother loved it as much as he did. As if he could feel eyes on him David stirred and tightened his grip around him, half waking up to check if he was really there.

“Can’t sleep?” the brunette mumbled, closing the small distance between their lips for a quick kiss.

“No.”

“Why, what’s the matter?” David leaned back to get a better look at him, and Eli hid his face by burying it against his warm neck. He’d long since memorised the smell and taste of his twin, but memory paled in comparison to the real thing.

“Dunno.”

“Hmm. Does that guy speak to you at night? You should stop it, if it’s keeping you up.”

“No, it’s not that. He’s asleep too, I can’t hear him.” Luckily Tretij closed the connection when it got dark, to give them both some peace. He didn’t really think the psychic was sleeping a lot, but he wasn’t in his head. As much as he liked the redhead’s company, he got tired of anyone after spending too much time with them – all except for his brother.

David moved a hand from the small of his back to twirl the blonde’s hair around his fingers. Almost at once Eli could feel his lids getting heavy. He was so, so tired.

“I wish you wouldn’t move away at night. Can’t you stay here? Just for tonight?”

“Ok…” For a blissful moment he forgot his worry, and was lulled gratefully to sleep.

~

Just before midday, after their Turkish lesson, the twins settled into the small chamber that served as a freezer for their extreme conditions training. It was 7x7 on each surface – a cube. The ceiling had vents that pumped in oxygen and icy cold air.

Their method for waiting the session out was to huddle together in a corner and complain. A surveillance camera watched them from its vantage point on the wall, but the lens iced over after a few minutes.

This time they had been stripped down to their underwear and ushered in for a four hour stretch. They were both blue by the time Ocelot let them out, shivering and stiff.

“Amazing, just amazing!” Dr. Tyszczenko was waiting there upon their exit. “I would love to see exactly how you manage to do this. Next time I will record you closely, yes! Perhaps -”

“- Go away, will you? Can’t y-you s-see now is-s not the time?” Eli spat, bundling the blanket Ocelot offered around himself as tight as it would go. The comparatively hot air of the building burnt his skin.

“Ah, yes, yes; do not worry. I shall go, I can explain later.” Eli didn’t watch him leave, opting instead to focus on putting his socks on with numb fingers.

 _\- You don’t like him._ It was a statement. Mantis was rarely in the dark with such things.

_\- No, he’s fucking irritating._

_\- I don’t either. He…has a fascination with all things…_ deviative _, as he puts it. You are like his newest toy._

_\- Well he can fuck off, then. I’m no one’s toy._

_\- What about your father?_ A shock of rage flared through the blonde, and he nearly ripped one of his socks in his fists.

 _\- You can fuck off n’ all._ He snapped the link shut, instantly giving himself a sharp headache. _I’m not his toy, either. I’m NOT._ As if to contradict him, Ocelot spoke up.

“Boys, you best go take a hot shower and warm up. Your father wants to see you.” Eli tore off the uncooperative sock and threw it away in frustration. Ocelot just rolled his eyes and sauntered out of the room where the freezer was kept, spurs tinkling at his heels.

“I hate this.” Liquid pouted.

“Me too.” Solid replied. He was employing a different method for warming up: he was curled in the blanket on the floor, as though he were swaddled.

“You look ridiculous.”

“Me? You look just as bad.” the brunette snorted. Eli sat with his blanket wrapped head to toe over him, with only his eyes peeking out from a little gap.

“It’s called _fashion_ , David.” he attempted a dramatic hair flick under the fabric, making his brother laugh. He loved that he could make him laugh like that.

Once warm enough to stop the violent shivering, they scurried back over the tiled floors to their room. Again they shared a shower to save time. Their stress levels weren’t as high as the first time they had done it, but it still wasn’t as arousing as one might expect. In their hurry they kept getting elbowed and shouldered for possession of the spray, a fight that usually ended in pinching and biting.

That being said, they were both turned on by the time they stopped bickering and stepped out of the cubicle. They couldn’t act on it now though, their father was waiting. It was wise to conserve energy.

~

Unsurprisingly, Snake didn’t even acknowledge their presence until it became a fraction more interesting than the papers splayed out in front of him. The way he was hunched over his work instead of using it like a footrest reminded Eli of Venom, disturbingly. For a split second when he glanced up, even their faces were the same – he wore a look of hollow disinterest in lieu of an arrogant sneer. It was so spooky that Eli briefly suspected they had changed places.

“What on earth do you do that takes so damn long? I don’t have all day, yaknow.” _He’s back again. Shame._ Neither of them answered for fear that he would think they were being insolent. “Hmph. Well, better late than never, as the saying goes. It should change to ‘better on time than in trouble’. I think you should start living by that.”

Snake straightened up and gave them the once-over, concluding that they were in an acceptable state. “C’mere.” The twins walked together around the desk, stopping a safe arm’s length from their father. Snake kicked off of the wood, rolling back slightly. “Under there.”

Resisting the temptation to give each other a questioning look that would aggravate him, they crawled one by one under the desk and sat against the back-board. _We’re in prime position to get kicked_ Eli thought, eyeing Big Boss’ pristine boots warily. Snake dug a heel into the floor and pulled himself back in, his legs not leaving the twins much space.

With practiced movements he undid his belt and olive drab trousers, taking out his soft cock with one hand and reaching blindly for one of the boys with the other. He found David’s head and yanked it toward his lap, doing the same to Eli once his clothes had been sorted. “Let’s hope you don’t need further instruction.” he grumbled, settling with his legs spread to let the twins sit between them.

David was the first to move, hesitantly taking the member in one hand and leaning forward to give it a little lick. He looked back at his brother, waiting for his contribution. Snake couldn’t see them beneath the desk, but he must have sensed Eli was hanging back and gave him a sudden kick that landed on the boneless part of his side under the ribs.

The kick did the trick, and the blonde joined the other quickly. Together they lapped at him slowly, jostling to get comfortable in the small space. Eli heard a pen click above him. _He’s doing paperwork_ now _?! Christ, you’d think he would stop for at least five minutes! Are we really so boring?_

Boring or no, their ministrations were starting to have an effect. The length was steadily getting thicker, contrary to the person it was attached to paying zero attention. _At least he’s not choking us with it like last time_. Eli ran his tongue along the underside, where it collided with David’s. He opened an eye to peek at his brother, who was grinning at him. _Did he do that on purpose?_

After the third and fourth time he still couldn’t be completely sure. Then their lips met at the head of the cock, and David pushed his tongue in against his for a few seconds before returning to the task at hand. _Definitely on purpose!_

Now it had become a game to touch their tongues and lips around Snake’s dick. It was difficult to guess where the other’s mouth would be next – it was quite dark under the desk with Boss blocking the light – but that just made it all the more electrifying when they guessed correctly.

Their fun hadn’t gone unnoticed by Big Boss. He didn’t have to see in order to feel what was going on. David’s kissing grew more and more urgent, and he ran a palm over Eli’s thigh to squeeze the hard-on he was sporting. Eli let out a moan that made both brunette’s breath hitch. Clumsily he groped around for his brother’s crotch, glad that he was hard too.

The entire situation was incredibly arousing, truly something out of his wet dreams. Snake had him and Solid on their knees, fighting over his cock and making out around it. Even better, Solid was so turned on by it as well that he wanted to rub Liquid at the same time.

“Concentrate, boys.” Big Boss grunted when they got too carried away. The twins startled, and went back to mouthing at him.

Their following of orders wasn’t anywhere near the level Snake wanted from them, but it was getting much better. His ‘lessons’ must be helping. “Good boys.” he offered, using the hand that wasn’t busy with the pen to pat David’s head.

Eli watched his brother receive the praise, waiting excitedly for his own. In contrast with his hatred he had wanted his father’s approval his entire life, the desire scarred onto the unseeable, unknowable depths of his mind. The non-malicious touch would assure him that he was one tiny, tiny, _tiny_ degree more than nothing to Snake.

His turn was slow to come. In fact, it seemed like he wasn’t going to _get_ a turn after all.

“What about me?” he blurted, sounding far too loud over David’s slurping. Snake leaned back in his chair to glare at him with a narrowed eye. Immediately Eli adopted the defence strategy that worked so well on Venom – he gave him the patented puppy-eyes, keeping the side of his mouth on his cock. “You’re not gonna leave me out, are you Daddy?”

He panicked waiting for his father’s response. Eli was already bracing himself for a painful punishment, there was no way Boss would fall for his sweet-little-snake routine like V. It may work on Venom, but Snake was in a different league of zero-bullshit altogether.

The writing hand dropped the pen and drew back. Eli flinched in anticipation of the blow, mentally kicking himself for being so thoughtless. He was extremely surprised when he was given a light pat on the head instead, followed by:

“Get back to it then, baby.” And get back to it he did. For a moment he felt like he was going to come in his trousers, but thankfully he was somehow spared that embarrassment.

Solid slipped a hand under the blonde’s shirt to play with his nipples, bring him back to the precarious edge of an orgasm. Liquid’s long moan was cut off when Snake suddenly pushed back enough to look at them. “Put your faces together.” He grunted, jerking himself roughly to telegraph exactly what he wanted even further.

The twins obeyed at once, pressing themselves cheek to cheek. Liquid used some initiative and stuck his tongue out, bringing back the innocent face that manipulated Venom for years (one he would remind himself to use on Snake again). Solid copied the tongue part, opening his mouth like his brother.

Snake groaned and came, aiming to cover both of their faces. Since his eyes were closed, Solid jolted when the first rope of semen landed in his mouth and along his cheek, giving him a little shock.

When the sticky shower stopped the twins pulled back to look at one another. Both of them were covered in cum, still hard and blushing and panting. “Lick it off each other.” Boss commanded, a lit cigar already between his lips. They made short work of cleaning the seed from their flushed skin, putting on a nice show. “Good boys.”


	37. Improvement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, after the years and years of waiting...the next chapter is here.  
> Thank you all so much for sticking with this fic, even if you have to go into hibernation for updates.  
> Loves ya! <3

They moved in time with the soldier’s sweeping gaze. As he turned his head away, the twins snuck through his blind spot and behind another wall. The soles of their combat boots were too loud on the linoleum to move at any speed. With no weapons to speak of they would be in trouble if they got caught.

According to the beat-up map they had with them, their destination was close. Two more rights and they would be there. Solid took the lead, folding the old map and tucking it in his back pocket. Using as much care as possible, he peeked around the next corner and immediately caught the attention of another soldier pacing down the corridor.

“Huh?” Solid whipped his head back, patting Liquid to let him know someone was coming. “What was that?” The solider gripped the handle and muzzle of his gun tighter and crept toward the mystery sighting. Upon rounding the corner his feet were knocked out from under him, and he landed heavily on his back. “Oof!”

Before he could yell or reach for the gun Liquid grabbed him, wrapping and arm around his neck and another under the soldier’s own arm. The blonde squeezed, cutting the blood flow to the soldier’s brain and rendering him unconscious. There was nowhere to hide the body, so they left him to sleep where he fell.

One more turn. Liquid was the one who checked the hall this time, which was thankfully empty.  _Eerily_  empty, almost – everywhere else so far had been teeming with armed O.H. soldiers. Cautiously they scuttled to the windowless metal door at the end of the hall, and Liquid tried the handle. It opened inward smoothly and soundlessly.

Together they went in, scanning each corner with apprehension.

“Boys.” Big Boss materialised from behind a desk cubicle, making the twins jump up in surprise. The stopwatch in their father’s hand clicked and he examined the results. “Twenty three minutes and forty seconds…Better than last time – but still not good enough.” He flicked the stopwatch away onto an empty desk with a clatter.

Neither of the brothers said anything; they just studied the floor moodily. Snake had tasked them with infiltrating a building many times before, but they still hadn’t improved enough to satisfy him. “Time is everything in infiltration. Soldiers you knock out will wake up or be discovered by the time it takes you two to walk five metres. For creatures designed specifically for this purpose you embarrass yourselves; you’re supposed to be the best of the best. No, you  _will_  be the best of the best, but you need to try harder.”

They had been given this lecture after each session, and it was still as humiliating and demoralising as ever. “If I don’t see any  _actual_  improvement next time then you’ll be in trouble.” He never had to elaborate on what the trouble would be - the boys knew they wouldn’t like it either way. “Get out. The truck’s outside.”

~

As if the infiltration practice wasn’t bad enough for one day, they had CQC with Snake directly after. Spending time with their father wasn’t something they looked forward to, unless being constantly berated and beaten suddenly became fun. The only time he had ever shown them any approval was when they were… _servicing_  him. Every day since they had been made to suck him off together Snake had called them back to do the same again. If he decided to do it again that afternoon too, it would be the sixth day in a row.

“No, keep your feet further apart. If he comes at you now you’ll topple like a bowling pin.” Snake grumbled at David from the side lines. This lesson the brothers were practicing on one another, which wasn’t anything new. For the last quarter of an hour Eli had played the role of the instigator, trying to get past David’s guard. Easier said than done - since they were so evenly matched they reached a stalemate in combat quickly.

With his twin’s stance corrected, Eli launched himself back at him once again starting with a body punch. It was effortlessly deflected, as was the second punch and sweeping kick. When the brunette saw an opportunity to respond with his own fists Eli dodged them just as smoothly.

Snake watched them with an expert and critical eye. He could see the improvement they had made since their time at Outer Heaven, but they were still far from perfect. Every now and then he would see one of them make the same mistakes as he had while training under The Boss, and he would correct them quoting her teachings word for word.

Now it was _their_ turn to learn from the best. “Liquid, you’re unbalanced.” As he was mouthing the last syllable, David gave the other a well-placed shove that sprawled the blonde onto the mat. Eli let himself get helped back to his feet, and the boys put their fists up for another round. “That’s enough.” They relaxed again, waiting for Snake to order them to his office. “You’re dismissed.” is all he offered them, trudging off and leaving a plume of cigar smoke in his wake.

~

David was surprised that he was a little disappointed. With Big Boss asking after them recently, Eli had spent more time with him in the past few days than he had in the last few weeks since reuniting with Tretij. An exciting few days too; after Boss shooed them away they went straight to their room to have very hot and very desperate sex. Maybe it was good thing that they were getting a break, Eli was starting to walk funny.

David was even more surprised by the fact that the blonde snake decided to leave him yet again in favour of his haunting psychic friend. _Can’t he spend at least one afternoon with me?_ He couldn’t help but be filled with bitterness as he watched the truck roll away toward the ESPer’s residence. _Alone,_ again _. I’m going to start talking to plants at this rate._

What did they have to speak about that was _sooo_ much more interesting than him? Were they speaking _about_ him? Perhaps that was the case, Eli was going there to complain! _No he wouldn’t do that…but he has been more distant lately…Did I do something wrong? It’s that creep that’s the real problem – we were fine until he showed up! This is his fault!_

Instead of moping about it, David decided to go outside and talk to his friends beyond the paddock. Having some worth-while conversation would take his mind off of it, he was sure. The sun was shining, as usual, cooking the tarmac under his feet.

“Hello!” he called out, leaning against the fence to listen for a response. “…Hello?” There were people talking in hushed voices on the other side, but no one was acknowledging him. _Must be different soldiers here today. Weird._ As he ambled away, a familiar voice replied through the tarpaulin.

“We cannot speak.” David turned back to the fence.

“Huh?”

“…We are not allowed to speak to you anymore.” The South African accent was thick, but he understood them clearly.

“ _What?_ Why, who told you that?”

“We are not allowed to speak, please do not talk to us.” _No, no, no!_

“Who said that we can’t talk?” _Why would someone do that?_ “Who was it?” He got no answer, and he didn’t try to get one. All the resolve had been sucked out of him with this final blow – now he was even _more_ alone than he had been before, if it was possible.

Listlessly, David meandered back and forth in his room. He didn’t want to stay still, the pacing was keeping his mind busy. Nevertheless, he couldn’t distract himself completely. _How did this become my life?_ Four months ago he hadn’t even known Eli existed. He hadn’t even known he was Boss’ son.

In little over three months he had become an entirely different person. He wasn’t a virgin anymore, or an orphan. Or a mercenary, not really. _What am I now, then?_ Snake’s plaything, Ocelot’s trainee, Mantis’ obstacle that was steadily being beat down.

 _Fuck you, Mantis._ The first two roles he could live with, as long as Eli was in it with him. Thanks to the psychic his twin was never around. All of his despair and resentment condensed into a single minded hatred toward Tretij that finally gave him some direction. He knew what he had to do.

His occupied pacing spilled out into the halls, where his heavy, moody footsteps unthinkingly turned silent and stealthy. The training was having an effect. But, despite the automatic change, he was still prone to stumbling upon people in surprise.

Distracted, David nearly missed Ocelot and his father talking together on the far side of the large entry room as he breezed through. They were conversing quickly and fluently in Russian, showing some of the casual familiarity one would expect between people who had known each other for nigh-on thirty years.

Neither of them had seemed to notice him, so it would be easy for him to scuttle away without having to interact with them. Instead of taking his leave, he stalked right up to them so they had no choice but to notice him.

“Something the matter, Solid?” Ocelot drawled, his tone relaying the unspoken ‘go away’ perfectly.

“No.” David crossed his arms to emphasise his reluctance to leave. “I just wanted to speak with my father.” Ocelot raised a brow, flicking his eyes to Snake with mild amusement. He muttered a quick ‘ok’ and spun on his heels, sauntering away.

Now alone, David turned back to Big Boss. For once, Snake looked as though he were slightly surprised under the mask of annoyance.

“This better be good.” David had been practicing his pitch over and over to himself, trying to find the right thing to say and the right way to say it. Being on the spot made the memory of the practice foggy, however. He wished he felt the confidence he had had a few seconds ago, before Boss’ stare had evaporated it. _This was a really bad idea._

“I…I, uh, wanted to a-ask you something.”

“ _Ask_ me something?” Boss’ gaze broke through his false confidence too, forcing him to bow his head shyly like he usually did.

“Yes, um…” _Say it, say it, say it!_ “I want Psycho Mantis moved away. I don’t want Eli to see him anymore.” It had sounded a lot less childish in his head. Boss regarded him coolly, chewing the end of his near burnt-out cigar.

“You want me to move a soldier away.” David nodded. “Hm. What makes you think you deserve something nice after disappointing me today?”

“…I don’t know.” he mumbled, desperately searching for a way out before he embarrassed himself any more. Boss had a point – he had come marching up to him, interrupting his conversation and expecting him to do him a favour as big as hauling a dangerous ESPer to the other end of Outer Heaven. Why did he ever think Snake would listen to him?

“Then why are you here?” _God, I really, really don’t know!_ David could see this ending in some form of punishment. _What do I do? If he says no, then Eli will keep leaving me! This is my only chance, what do I do?_ Suddenly, his mind drew something from among the blanks.

“ _Please_ , Daddy?” he pleaded sweetly, forcing himself to look up and put on the best ‘how can you say no to this little face’ face he could muster. Snake narrowed his eye at him, looking thoroughly unimpressed. _It’s not fucking working!_ David’s heart skipped painfully, waiting for his pleasesayyes expression to get beaten to a pulp under Snake’s fists.

“…I’ll think about it.” Boss disclosed, still looking unamused. _It worked? It actually worked? Yes, yes!_

“Thank you Daddy!” he cheered, the relief so great it was palpable. Until then he hadn’t realised how tense and starved for oxygen he had been the entire exchange.

“Now fuck off, I’m busy.” David didn’t need to be told twice. The happy snake darted off in the direction of his room, feeling lighter than he had in days.


	38. Lies and Friendship

It took three days for enough non-electromagnetic conductive lining to be collected and fitted to a suitable underground room two whole sectors away from the snakes. Big Boss made sure that it was stronger than the lining of the previous room, which was already inches thick to begin with.

Tyszczenko assured him that there was no way a connection could be established over such a distance with the ESP dampening measures in place. Boss reminded him that he had said the same thing last time, and the Russian boy managed to pierce through it like an arrow through paper.

He slightly regretted bringing it up, he couldn’t afford to scare the doctor away and lose his unique expertise. Luckily Tyszczenko didn’t seem intimidated by the subtle threat - that slimy little shit Emmerich still cast a veil of alienation over Snake’s eyes when it came to sciencey types, so it was easy for him to forget that the quirky Ukrainian wasn’t a spineless coward too.

Snake was almost jealous of Venom when he met Huey again, purely for the fact that V got to beat the shit out of him whenever he wanted. Even that was short-lived, Emmerich was banished from Mother Base and left to drift away on a flimsy lifeboat. Now he was living a relatively normal life with a wife and kids in America, oblivious to the fact that Snake knew exactly where he was and what he was doing.

The psychic put up a fight when the armed soldiers came to sedate him. Before they had even stepped into the room Mantis had sensed their intentions, and wasted no time in making the first man through the door turn his handgun on himself, splattering the contents of his skull over his comrades. The Outer Heaven soldiers were unphased, opening fire and prickling the psychic with tranquillisers.

Mantis managed to get one more person to commit suicide and another to murder three other soldiers before he fell unconscious. He looked like a hedgehog with all the darts in his body. In the end he had to be given an emergency shot of epinephrine to restart his heart after the overdose.

The most important thing was that he was successfully transferred to his new accommodation with just a few casualties. There would have been a lot more if the soldiers hadn’t been wearing prototypes of an ESP blocking helmet. They hadn’t worked completely, but they had had some effect.

~

It was quiet when Eli woke up. Not _silent_ , he could hear David breathing slowly beside him where he had followed after him in the night when the blonde tried to move away. Something was different. Something was _off_. In the comfort of his bed it wasn’t immediately obvious, but the realisation eventually came and made him bolt upright.

 _Mantis_. He couldn’t hear him anymore, not even slightly. _Tretij?_ Eli couldn’t feel him at all. _Tretij?!_ The connection hadn’t just been closed, as it was overnight, but severed completely. A huge strain had been banished from his mind where he had been battling to keep the link up each day, which only made him more apprehensive. What had happened?

“What is it?” David inquired sleepily, disturbed by Eli’s sudden movement.

“I…” _can’t hear anything._ He suspected David would celebrate to learn that Mantis had disappeared; Eli got the impression that his twin wasn’t a big fan of the ESPer.

Every time he was mentioned David would sulk, and he was always eager to blame him for every little thing that happened to Eli. _‘Is he keeping you awake?’ ‘Is he bothering you?’ ‘Why are you so distracted? It’s him, isn’t it. Why don’t you talk to_ me _instead, I’m right here!’_ “It’s nothing.”

“Hmm.” The brunette felt around in the dim light, eventually finding his brother’s middle and pulling him back down. “You should stay here after training. We can find something fun to do.” What Eli really wanted to do was discover why he couldn’t feel Tretij anymore. “…Please?”

Eli forced himself not to be fooled by the desperate tone in his voice. According to Mantis, David had been loving every minute that he was away. He had to be pretending that he missed him so Eli wouldn’t get suspicious.

In truth, the blonde would have loved to spend more time with him. The past week had been a fantasy come true for him – excluding the previous night, they had built a routine of pleasing Snake and rushing back to bed to have incredibly intense sex; the kind that made it hard to walk the next day. He’d enjoyed it so much, it still hurt his heart that David didn’t feel the same way about it.

 _At least I’m making you happy._ By giving him space, he was making sure David wouldn’t get sick of him. _Right?_ He didn’t want to think about what would happen if the brunette decided to leave him. Shooting himself in the face seemed the most likely option. Didn’t he make the same decision when they went on the run in Alaska?

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” David responded without missing a beat. It had been out of the blue, but he just suspected Eli had had a nightmare about him dying. “Stay here with me.” he propped himself up on an elbow to kiss down his clone’s body, ducking under the covers.

~

Liquid didn’t stay with him, nor did he give any warning about it. He had gone back to their room with Solid after linguistics, slipping away while his brother was in the shower. Solid had been so furious when he discovered he was missing that he felt like beating the blonde up when he returned.

No sooner had he pulled on his clothes than the snake in question came storming back in, apparently angrier than he was.

“What’s up with you?”

“FUCK! They took him away!”

“Wha-”

“- They _fucking_ took him away!” Liquid was pacing in a quick circle, itching for something to hit.

“Took who away?”

“Mantis! He’s gone! I can’t hear him anymore, he’s been fucking taken – _somewhere_ , I don’t know! But he’s not here!” _Boss really did it?_ Solid’s mood was suddenly lifted above the clouds.

“Well, that-that’s certainly something, isn’t it?” He chose his words carefully; celebrating now while Eli was raging would be a perfect way to get punched.

“No shit! Why? Why would someone _do_ that, they won’t tell me! Ocelot said he was distracting me too much, so Boss sent him away!” the fair haired snake caught sight of their little sofa and gave it an almighty kick that almost splintered the wooden framework. “Do you think he was distracting me?”

_Carefully._

“Uh…” _CAREFULLY_. “W-well, I don’t think Boss would have done it for nothing, yaknow?”

“Is that a yes, then?” Eli’s target shifted from the sofa to David, glaring at him with an accusing intensity. The spotlight meant that he would have to be even more cautious.

“Maybe just a little.”

“What?” _Uh-oh._

“Sometimes you missed what I was saying when you were talking. Just a little.” It would have been easy to play along and say exactly what he wanted to hear, but David saw an opportunity to give him grief about disappearing each afternoon. He had never been good at keeping his opinion to himself. “Maybe it’s a good thing that he’s gone. We can see each other more, yaknow?”

Eli paused for a moment, puzzling something over in his head.

“You’re glad he’s gone, aren’t you? You never liked him, did you?” The tone he was using rubbed David the wrong way.

“No, actually, I didn’t. You’ve been acting funny ever since you found him.”

“Acting funny? I thought you’d be happy about that.”

“What? Eli, we never talk anymore – or do _anything_ anymore! You never listen when I ask you to spend time with me!”

“You were the one who sent him away. _You_ were the one who got him fucking sent away, aren’t you?!” The volume was steadily rising in their voices, but the infuriated yelling didn’t intimidate or deter the brunette.

“Yeah, it was me. I asked Boss to get rid of him.” His unashamed confession made Eli balk in shock. “And I’m fucking glad he’s gone, too.”

“.. _You_ …Why would you do that to me?!”

“For the same reason I’ve been giving you for weeks: I miss you!”

“Oh don’t fucking give me that bullshit, David!”

“Bullshit?”

“Yes, bullshit! You know, I think the real reason you did it is because you’re selfish. You’re like a child who’s got bored of his toy, but as soon as someone else plays with it you want it back!”

“What are you talking about ‘got bored’?! I never got ‘bored’ with you, even for a second! Funnily enough, I actually _want_ your company!”

“Stop with the act already, we both know what’s really going on.” he ground the heels of his palms into his eyes in exasperation.

“Obviously not, I don’t know what you’re even talking about!”

“You. Don’t. Even. _Fucking_. Want. Me. _Around!_ ”

“WHAT?”

“Tretij told me how much you hated my _precious_ company! Yeah, he’s told me all about the shit you keep hidden away in your head.” David had never felt so out of the loop, which was saying a lot considering all the conspiracy-like truths he had learnt in the past few months. His head was starting to hurt with it all again.

“My God Eli, what are you talking about? What hidden shit?”

“Don’t pretend like you don’t know! You don’t like it when I’m around, you don’t like it when we hold hands or hug, you don’t like it when I sleep next to you!” Eli’s voice cracked at the end of ‘you’, but he willed himself not to break down. The dark haired snake had to take a deep breath while he processed the information.

“Mantis said all those things to you? He said that’s what I was thinking?”

“Yes, he told me you’ve been lying to me!”

“Jesus, open your fucking eyes Eli! _He’s_ the one who’s been lying to you, none of that is true!”

“He wouldn’t lie to me.”

“And I would? Why would I not like touching you and kissing you and being around you, I LOVE you!”

“I-I don’t know!”

“Do you think I’m lying when I say that?”

“No, I…I don’t know!” Tretij had planted, watered and fed the seed of worry and doubt in his mind, and it had morphed out of control while trapped there. Now that David was finally shedding light on it, it felt a lot less clear and genuine. It was being uprooted, but the alternate truth was that his only friend had deceived him and caused him so much pain trying to pry him from his twin.

“Have you been acting so weird this whole time because of _that?_ Did you think I didn’t love you this whole time?” Eli shook his head dumbly. “Why the fuck would I be begging you to stay with me and getting close to you at night if that was the case? You think I was pretending?”

“I dunno…yeah, I thought maybe you were. I thought he was telling the truth, I could _feel_ it…”

“Probably because he’s been fucking with your head all day every day! He’s a psychic, he can make you think whatever he wants to!”

“Why would he do that? He’s my friend…” All of the fight had been drained out of him, leaving him to feel the raw emotion that came after.

“Eli, why didn’t you tell me about this?” It wouldn’t be the first time he kept quiet until the problem came exploding out of him. If the roles were reversed, David would have liked to think that he would have said something. Then again it would have been very different if the roles were reversed – there was no way Eli would let him leave to see his friends.

The blonde was adjusting to the change in his mind. Without Mantis’ influence, the false feeling of rejection was dissipating, but his thoughts were still in an indecipherable tangle. David made his way toward him slowly, slinking his arms around him. Eli wriggled out of his grasp in a panic.

“No, don’t touch me. I-I just want to be on my own.” He went quickly from the room without saying another word.

~

David found him a few hours later, asleep on the floor of their library. He had torn a great deal of books apart, scraps of useless paper littered in a blanket around him. As he knelt down next to him, the snake noticed the illustration of the Blue-footed Booby had landed in his brother’s golden hair.


	39. In the Hangar

Things didn’t get better immediately. The twins were quieter with each other, but they didn’t leave each other’s side either.

Sex had certainly improved, though. Now that they had resolved the problems that the ESPer had caused, they weren’t constantly stressing over lies or strange behaviour. They were free to enjoy each other without heavy hearts.

Since he saw them every day, Ocelot noticed the tension dissolving between them. If anything, they had never seemed so comfortable at Outer Heaven. Snake also observed the change in his sons, though it made itself known more when he sent them to his office.

Over the days and weeks after he moved Psycho Mantis to another sector, the twins got a fraction more eager in their role. Their reluctance to refer to him as ‘daddy’ had disappeared completely – in fact, it had become something of a habit. One of them had accidentally called him it during training, flinching in anticipation of reprimand once they realised their mistake. He didn’t bother to correct them.

~

In the early hours of the morning Eli and David rolled around their bed together. They finally settled with Eli on top, grinding himself back onto the brunette’s lap.

“Fuck! Yeah, you’re so good ~” Eli whimpered, twitching and leaking onto his brother’s stomach. He would gladly give everything else up so long as he could feel David moving inside him forever.

“You like that?”

“Yes, _yes!_ ” No matter what position they were in, David always managed to hit the sweet spot dead-centre. It was like he was striking a gong that vibrated through every inch if the fair twin’s body. Watching Eli’s decline into an overstimulated mess was definitely his favourite pastime. “Harder!”

David gripped onto his rolling hips, pulling him back down to meet him with a smack of skin. “Ahh! Y-you’re gonna make me come so hard!”

“Come for me, baby.” Eli was all too happy to oblige.

“Ah! Ahh!” he tightened a hand over the head of his cock as he climaxed, squirting ropes of warm semen over David’s chest. Their glowing clock gave an obnoxious buzz from its place on the wall, letting them know that it was ten to seven – time to get up for training.

They both completely ignored it. Eli lowered himself to lie down along the other, so that David could set the pace himself. By the time that the clock gave another warning at five to seven, the tingling heat had returned where the blue-eyed snake was thrusting into him. “Mmh, that feels nice.” he whispered drowsily.

“F-fuck, I’m so fucking close!”

“We’re going to be late.” The blonde murmured, eyeing the angry little clock. David dug his nails into his ass, groaning and shooting inside him. Once he relaxed Eli stated: “We’re late.”

“I don’t think I could care any less.”

“We should just take the day off. I’m too tired.”

“Haha! I don’t think Boss’ll be very pleased. Or Ocelot.”

“Fuck ‘em.”

“I’d rather fuck you.” David gave him a quick kiss, rolling him off and shuffling to the bathroom.

“That was really cheesy!” he called after him, getting a middle finger from behind the open door.

~

As they predicted, they were late. Ocelot gave them both a whack across the back of the head, telling them he wouldn’t tell Snake as long as they never did it again. Eli’s ‘whatever’ earnt him another whack.

Despite the mishap, they were back on track in no time. Ocelot was fast running out of languages to teach them – he could no longer insult them in Russian under his breath, or they would understand every word. He decided he didn’t really care, and kept doing it anyway.

Their marksmanship had improved tenfold. Where they were moping and complaining during target practice before, they were…still moping and complaining, but because it had gotten too easy. Target practice wasn’t their only area of progress. Snake was pleased with their Close Quarters Combat, although he never showed it. Of course, it still wasn’t enough.

The twins had already clued in to the fact that they could bat their eyelashes and call him Daddy and they’d get whatever they wanted, be it a new TV, a SNES, a mountain of sweets and chocolate, or a new vibrator so they didn’t have to take turns. It was a small price to pay for their obedience.

Sometimes they pushed their luck with it though; if they wanted to get out of training early or take the easier regime they would turn to him wearing their pleading little faces. Most of the time it was a flat out ‘no’, but he let them have their way if he was feeling particularly generous.

That day he had something different for them. They were told to meet him in the yard behind their building, instead of the training hall for CQC.

“Boys.” he greeted them out in the sun, leaning against the truck that was used to transport them.

“What’s going on?”

“You’ve been doing well. I decided you should get a reward, of sorts.”

“Reward?” their eyes lit up excitedly.

“Get in.” They clambered onto the back, surprised when Snake didn’t chain them there. The truck started with a grumble, kicking red dust behind it as it rolled away. As they passed through the gate at the end of the yard the idea of escape occurred to them both.

It was tempting, but it would be extremely stupid. They didn’t know what was beyond the walls of their sector, what the rest of Outer Heaven was like or how it was laid out. Plus they would never jump off the truck and scale the walls and barbed wire in time before Snake caught up and tore them to pieces for misbehaving. The twins gave each other a defeated look, each coming to the same conclusion: no escaping today.

The route was familiar to David. He had taken it before, he was sure. It struck him that it was the same way they took to get to Mantis’ old room, and he started to panic. By ‘reward’, surely Snake didn’t mean he’d brought the psychic back?! That wasn’t a reward, for either of them! Eli was still hurt that his so-called friend had lied to him – bringing him back would just upset him more, right? That was the theory anyway.

“Where are we going?” David asked nervously.

“You’ll see.” Boss replied, doing nothing to assuage his fears. _Please, please don’t let it be the case!_ As the building in question came into view he started to sweat. _No, no, please don’t!_ The truck took a sudden left, following a branch of the road that the twins had never travelled before. Right towards the hangar.

~

As the massive main doors were sealed, they took the path to a much smaller personnel door. The O.H. soldiers that were milling about stopped abruptly to salute Snake, who gave them each a nod. It was more than Venom had given his men on Mother Base, Liquid could remember him looking right through them as he walked past.

 _I wonder what it is…It must be a present! I hope it’s something good – like a helicopter!_ The blonde was impatient to reach his gift. _I hope it’s a good one, I’ve missed flying in the SAS!_

“Boys. You’re doing well here.” He was praising them, but his tone was serious. “You’ll be here long after I’m gone. Carrying on my will… _Her_ will.” The mood shifted from delight to dread in the blink of an eye. “It’s what you were made for, after all.”

Solid and Liquid glanced at each other anxiously. _What is he talking about?_ Snake paused at the door. “You’re not ready yet, but you will be. One day.” Now the twins were scared. They crept in after him, sticking close together.

Light filtered in through skylights on in the roof, assisted by fluorescents should the sun set or disappear behind the clouds. Power tools sparked and whirred away, the sound echoing off the walls in the spacious hangar. There was only one machine housed there. Liquid recognised what it was straight away, going cold all over. “This,” Snake pointed to it slowly, “is TX-55 Metal Gear.”

Although it was incomplete, the structure still towered over them. To Liquid, the implications of its existence were more intimidating than its threatening presence. He found his voice through the shock.

“Why…why would you do this?”

“For you. To continue Her will...you’ll need more than guns and cardboard.”

“‘Her will?’ You can’t do this, it’s – it’s Metal Gear! It’s…Making this is an act of terror!”

“Then let them be terrified.” There was an emptiness in Snake’s eye that made Liquid more afraid of him then he’d ever been. He could see the callous determination there, the very thing that earnt him the tile of Big Boss. Snake didn’t care what he was doing or who he was hurting, as long as he reached his goal. “I’ll admit, it’s no Sahelanthropus, but it should be just as effective when it’s done. Plus, I’d rather slit Emmerich’s throat than let him make me another, the slimy cunt.”

“I don’t understand. You’ve made V dispose of anything remotely nuclear for years, why would you contradict your own wishes?”

“Where did you think all those weapons were going, Eli? To the bottom of the sea?” Liquid blanched. _No, he_ was _putting them there! He wasn’t arming you, he can’t be!_ As much as he loved killing people and causing chaos, the act of sending the world spiralling into a radioactive war was a bit too far, even for him. “Why are you suddenly so opposed to the idea? I thought you enjoyed piloting Sahelanthropus.”

_This...isn't the same. David...We'll never get out of here._


	40. The End

1997 – FOXHOUND Weapons Development Facility, Alaska.

The stars were always so much clearer away from the artificial lights on Base. Weaving across the sky, the Aurora Borealis cast a haunting green glow on the ground. At this time of year the stretch of water separating Shadow Moses from the mainland was frozen over, allowing people to cross it on foot, sled or snowmobile.

In the distance the rest of the world seemed to call out over the icefields, offering him freedom. He craved it so much. He wasn’t sure he even knew what freedom was anymore.

The cigarette burnt down to the filter, and he flicked it absently into the snow. _Freedom. Tonight is the night. Tomorrow, we will be free…or we will be dead._

“David.” A welcome voice jolted him from his reverie. _Eli._ “You ready?”

“Not really.”

“Getting cold feet?” his twin joined him in the cold, helping himself to a cigarette from the packet in his hand.

“No. I just…hope this fucking works.”

“You think I don’t?” The lighter was taken from his back pocket. “It will. It has to.”

“Sure. When has the universe ever conspired against us?”

“Very funny. Is that what you’re doing out here? Asking the universe for help?” David watched Eli try to light the cigarette over and over. His hands were shaking. The brunette took it from him gently, sparking the small flame on the first try.

Eli laughed nervously. “It’s just the cold.”

“Sure.”

“…David, if this – if this doesn’t -” his words got stuck on the lump in his throat.

“I know.”

They stood in silence, watching the otherworldly lights dance overhead.

~

Getting everything in place was more than a little stressful. Luckily, no one questioned them when they stopped by the armoury to collect a few things, or by the control room to distract the staff while they completely disconnected cameras 103-116. They weren’t used that much, anyway.

Soldiers in the halls and guarding doors saluted them with a loud ‘sir!’ as they breezed by. It was all white noise by now. They had to be quick – as easily as they were able to take what they needed, someone would soon report that the entire Base’s supply of C4 was missing.

“Sir! Sir!” The twins turned around to the young soldier that was struggling to catch up to their speedy walking.

“What?” Eli snapped, making the already nervous boy even more afraid. Solid and Liquid Snake were second only to their father on Base. Their reputation as fearsome mercenaries was well respected by everyone in the military, be their place under Boss’ command or no; and had reached each corner of the earth in a few short years. They were going to be legendary, just like Big Boss. The perfect successors.

“Boss said – h-he asked me to send for you. He wants to see you.”

“Both of us?”

“Yes.” The FOXHOUND soldier eyed the bulging duffel bags on their shoulders curiously.

“Alright, thank you. You can go now.” the blonde shooed him away, noticing where his gaze had landed. They waited until he had scurried away to talk.

“Fuck!”

“Do you think he knows?”

“No, he can’t do. Ok, ok.”

“O _k?!_ Now – now of all times!”

“Calm down. Ok. We can hide the bags in the supply closet near the stairs on floor 2.” David took off in a half walk half jog, with his brother following close behind.

“It’s locked.”

“Not if we kick it the fuck in.”

“That’s not very inconspicuous.”

“Do you have any better ideas?”

“Supply closet it is.”

“Good.” They stopped talking and slowed to a casual stroll as they rounded a corner into a busy corridor, starting up again when they were out of sight. “Let’s hope it’ll be quick. After, we’ll come back for the bags and get to the hangar. What time is it?”

“9:02.”

“Alright. Rounds of the primary armoury start at 9:30, so we have about twenty eight minutes to get this set up before someone reports the C4.”

“It’ll take us ten just to get there!”

“Then we’ll have to be fucking quick about it, won’t we?” The stairs to the second storey were taken two at a time. Their destination was right outside the stairwell. “Hold this.” Solid handed the duffel over, reeling back to plant a well-placed kick to the wooden door of the closet. It didn’t open. _Fuck_. He tried it again, and again it didn’t budge.

“Let me do it -” the third kick did the trick, and the door slammed inwards from its splintered lock. Eli placed the bags in carefully, stopping himself from dumping them just in time. A bad knock and the contents would blast them out of existence. “Let’s go.”

Big Boss’ office was on the fourth floor. He only ever went to Shadow Moses to make sure everything was going smoothly, but he had stationed himself there while the twins went through the final stages of TX-55 orientation. They already knew how to pilot it, the orientation was just to polish their skill. Once they were ready, Metal Gear could be deployed anywhere and anytime he wanted.

“Come in.” he responded to a familiar knock on the door. Liquid and Solid filed in, standing to attention before him. “You took your time. Right, I suppose you know why you’re here.” Venom leaned back in his chair, cracking his knuckles with his prosthetic. The twins exchanged a quick glance.

“No, Boss.”

“No? Hm. I thought you were more perceptive. You certainly seem to think that I’m not. I see everything that happens here. You can’t hide a thing.” _Uh-oh._ “Apparently you either don’t remember, or you just don’t care. I know you’ve been sneaking around down there. Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”

 _He knows! He actually fucking knows!_ They stood wordless, waiting for him to announce their death sentence. _We are so incredibly fucked._ “Still nothing? Allow me to remind you.” V pulled a ledger from the desk, letting it fall open on the marked page. “Over the last month, eighty five cigarette packs have inexplicably gone missing from storage room six – the only one _you_ two have a key for.”

 _…What?_ “So, one can only assume that you’ve been stealing.” It was a challenge not to let the flood of relief show on their faces. _Jesus Christ, the cigarettes…_ They had been sure he was talking about the C4. “Boys?”

“No, it wasn’t us.” David said.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“You’re in for a world of trouble if you have, but it’ll be even worse if I find out you’re lying to me, so confess while you can.”

“It wasn’t us, Daddy.” It was, 100%. They had been stealing Calorie Mates and vodka, too.

“That your final answer?” _Please don’t have evidence._

“Yeah.” Venom studied them suspiciously for a moment, eventually deciding to look into it further at a later date.

“Alright then. You’re dismissed.”

~

“What time is it?” the brunette asked once again as they hurried back through the halls.

“9:27.”

“Fuck!” They were at the hangar, but they needed more time.

“Sir!” the guard at the door chimed, stepping aside for the snakes. That late at night there were only a few people patrolling the hangar, all of which they had to knock out before they started. Leaving the duffels by a disassembled mini gun, they split up to get the job done faster.

Those who actually saw them coming didn’t expect to be choked out. There was no time to even make a noise before they were being strangled and dragged quickly out of sight.

“9:29.” Eli whispered when they met again.

“No time like the present.” They retrieved the bags, racing over to the waiting TX-55. Eli pulled a crumpled schematic from the breast pocket of his jacket, smoothing it flat on the floor with one hand and helping David unload the explosives with the other.

“The first four go under the first joint. Two each side.” The twins had ‘borrowed’ the Metal Gear schematic from the science block a few weeks back, studying it and marking down the desired places. David was just tall enough to reach the first point from the stepladder that sat under the massive machine.

He tore a chunk of putty from the numerous blocks they had brought, using it to secure the C4 in place. “Good. The next four in the next joint. If we have time we’ll add more here, it’s weaker. We don’t though, its 9:32.” David had to climb to reach the next target, using the seams in the metal as hand-holds. _Don’t drop it_ he asked his sweaty hands. He’d have more than sweat to worry about if it fell.

Eli took a bag up the stepladder so that he could hand more putty and C4 over. “Point 6 – that’s kind of…like, here on you and me.” He gestured to a specific spot on his waist.

“That’s not fucking helpful, this thing is a lump!”

“Alright, alright! Ok, just go left a bit. No, the other left – how do you mix that up, we’re facing the same way.”

“Get on with it!”

“Alright! Uh, now down about an inch. There. Do the same on the other side.” As David was moving to the correct spot their progress was interrupted by a blaring klaxon. The lights became a flashing red, spinning wildly in their plastic covers.

“ _Shit!_ ”

“Hurry up!” The explosive was jammed into place by trembling hands.

“We need to lock the doors, they’ll be coming!”

“Just keep going, we’re over half way.” Eli lifted one of the duffel bags to hand to his brother, along with the schematic. “I’ll get the doors.” There was no way to lock them manually once an alert had started. His only option was to block them with the heavy scraps of this and that scattered around.

The way they had come in was secured with the mini gun by wedging it against a control panel – but not before the panicking guard at that door was dealt with. Another had a chair tilted under the knob, the definition of unoriginality. Eli couldn’t care less, all they needed was one more hurdle for someone clear before they were upon them.

On the other side of the little window of the third door, he spotted an armed soldier bolting down the hall towards him. They faltered when they saw him there, not sure whether he would survive a fight with Liquid Snake. His moment of hesitation passed, and he decided that he’d rather die fighting than live running. He would do Boss proud.

Eli was too quick for the ambitious soldier, beating the handle off the door with the corner of a welding machine. As they tried the handle on their side it came off in their hand. The blonde had to resist giving a smug look so that he could get to the final door.

“Eli, I’m out of C4! The bag is empty!”

“Not right now!” he called back over the klaxon, searching frantically for a door jam. There was nothing that wasn’t bolted to the floor. His scanning happened upon a forklift a few metres away. _Bingo._

“Eli, pass me the other bag! We don’t have time! Fuck.” David opted to get it himself, dropping off of TX-55 from slightly too high. A sprained ankle wasn’t about to get in his way now, though.

Following the reference, he clambered back onto the top of the cockpit with an explosive in each hand and another in his mouth. He caught sight of Eli trying to push the forklift with the handbrake off after he couldn’t get it started. _Really?!_ David shook himself back into focus, pressing more putty onto the giant weapon.

The window of the second door was shot out, and an arm stuck through to try and budge the chair.

“David!”

“I know! Done, I’m done!” he climbed back down, falling most of the way in his hurry. Eli waved the trigger at him to let him know he had it, and they sprinted toward the main door. It had been shut all winter, but the twins knew that. That was why they had hidden the blowtorch from the technicians yesterday.

David did the honours, cranking on the gas and using his lighter to start the flame. He didn’t bother with a helmet, he just squinted against the blinding light.

“Faster…” Eli kept his eyes on the hand yanking the chair from under the handle. “Faster!”

“I know!” Usually when the blonde told him to go faster he was having the time of his life, but he couldn’t envisage a time when he had been more stressed. The door was opened across the hangar. Eli shoved David away, ramming the section of metal he had been cutting with his shoulder. Luckily the torch didn’t burn his face off.

The blisteringly chilly air swept in from outside when the metal bent under Eli’s banging. There was hardly any room, but the twins wriggled out through the small gap away from their pursuers. Their clothing burnt and tore against the jagged edges.

It was still far from over. Earlier that evening, David had driven a snowmobile to the hangar for them, having the foresight to bring extra gas too. The little vehicle shone like a beacon of hope from the white blanketed ground. Their luck was still with them – it got started without a hitch, despite being left in the cold for a few hours.

The brunette took the handles, barely waiting for his twin to get on before roaring off. Eli watched the Base drop away behind them, gripping the trigger with conviction. He had to stay within 100 metres… _Now!_ He pushed the button.

There was a split second of alarm when nothing happened. _Did we go too far?_ Then the fortress lit up from inside, the flames exploding from the framework and engulfing the entire thing. Another burst billowed from what used to be the hangar, the deafening boom shaking the ice under them.

David stopped the snowmobile to swivel in place, watching the inferno blaze with his brother. They didn’t laugh, or cheer, or cry. Neither of them made a sound. They just watched.

They had done it. Finally, their escape; five years in the making. No, _twenty_ five years in the making. In the end they had to get as close to their father as they could to get away, out from the darkness of his shadow. After all the shit and pain and toil, neither of them could muster a single emotion. Not just yet.

Eli turned back and looped his arms around his clone. David spent another moment taking in the wreckage, and started the snowmobile up again.

~

Through the gloom, Eli could hear something creeping closer. _Slithering_ closer.

“Where are you? Little one, where aaaarrreee yoooou?” He couldn’t move. Fear had completely paralysed him, leaving him an easy target for the advancing monster. “Why did you leave me, baby? Where did you go?” Scales shone all around him, closing in and feeling him out. “Where. Did. You. Go?” The serpent’s warped head came into view, tongue flicking in the dark. “I can smell you…THERE!”

Eli gasped awake, tangling himself in the covers. ‘ _THERE!’_ A wet nose pressed at his face, and he pushed it away blindly.

“Bugger off.” he wheezed, swatting the nose that threatened to make a reappearance.

“Don’t be mean to him.” David mumbled into his pillow, giving the dog a scratch. It gave a friendly (but piercing) bark, prompting another three dogs to jump onto the bed. “You ok?” he reached out and smoothed Eli’s hair back.

“Yeah, I…I’m ok.” The blonde wormed his way up into a sit, patting the husky that settled into his lap. “It was just a dream.”

The sun was out, but it was still freezing. It was Alaska, after all. They took turns throwing a tennis ball for the dogs, which vanished under the thick snow. Their huskies dived in after it. David held his hand and gave him a warm smile.

"Did you ever think we'd make it here?"

"I dunno. I hoped we would." He'd never stopped hoping. Every morning he lay in bed and pinched himself, barely believing reality. They were together. And they were happy. He still wondered what he had done to deserve it.

“I'm glad you're here with me. I love you."

"I love me too." David laughed and elbowed him. They stopped walking to kiss, breaking off when the dogs came bounding back up. The ball was tossed away again, and they continued on.

"This is nice.”

“Yeah,” Eli wholeheartedly agreed, “it is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading! Hope you enjoyed, I had a fantastic time writing!  
> I kept re-writing the ending, but it definitely should have ended with them getting to live their dream life together. Let the snakes be happy 2K17.  
> This is it for this fic, but not for me writing. I have some ideas for even more soliquid fics, so keep an eye out for more!  
> Loves ya <3

**Author's Note:**

> Suppose I'm really doing this then


End file.
